Your face is portable
joy obasi.
Contents
Human follies
1 this dog is mad
2 my big boss
3 looking for god
4 a will of life
5 this hole
6 feeble war
Fortified with love
7 your face is portable
8 can’t hurt me
9 the two things you say
10 spirit badminton
11 still enjoy
12 Ichinye aki
13 forgone alternative
14 slap
15 Move
16 My closest friend
17 Delight
18 The gift
19 The safest thing
20 Suicide
21 Shadow grave
22 The one that matters
23 Sacked
24 Shout
25 Fear
26 Depreciation
Dedication
In loving memory of my late mum, Mrs. Theresa obasi, may your gentle soul rest in the lord, amen.
1
This dog is mad
I am ill
She is ill
He is ill
They are ill.
The doctor gave a belated concern
The psychologist winked
The philosopher cried.
The dog barked
[ whaw!! Whaw!! Whaw!! ill are you ]
Dilemma sets in.
I tried all.
Who will cure me?
2
My big boss
My big boss grey beard
That appears better.
Even as it was bushy
He claimed that it has been barbed.
My big boss grey beard
He compared to my silky beard
He asked me to go and have it barbed
So I wondered in bewilderment.
My big boss grey beard
That is now a model
But if I barb my beard
Will it be like my beard?
Or will it be my big boss’s?
3
Looking for god
I’ve got these three
Gold
Silver
Bronze
And need to protect it.
It needs to be protected for longevity
It needs to be protected for extinction.
The search for protection started
They charged for it
They mutilated it
They hid it
They stole it
They sold it
They killed it
I did the worse
Now, with my bag of these three
I searched
I am looking for who that is non of those
Looking for protection for my these
Looking for its safety
Looking for God.
4
A will of life
An edifice of life
Design with an ornament
Could be felt not seen
Admired when great
Ignored when insignificant.
A character of life
That can affect human, culture and personality.
In positive or negative way
It influences animate and inanimate.
A will of life
With humour and wit
In the midst of integrity and cleverness
In the centre of pride and humour.
Filled with emotion
It can kill and give life
It stands out in crises
Attitude it is.
5
This hole
That looked like a bedroom
Scented with rose perfume
And very confortable to sleep in
Enjoyed in intoxication
Only seen by you.
This heaven’s failure
The devil incarnate
The un-sounding lightening
The admired beast
The beautiful liar
The modern horror
The disguised darkness
You found a pretty kettle of fish
Can’t even defend you.
This hole, made of marble
You’ll fall into
Not because you are blind
But because you liked it.
6
Feeble war
It is one sided
Fought with translucent dagger
And seen like a blurred vision
Could it ever be sharp?
So that I can believe my eyes
Yet your disillusion put me in disarray.
This war is not it
This war it is
I can’t accept both to face you
Because it was a mistake
That has eaten me up
And left me with an inch of life.
Such life I lived
That left me so vulnerable
I dined with friends
Friends, of the earth.
Fortified with love
7
Your face is portable
Drawn by the greatest artist
Envisaged by the admirer
Carried by the able hands
And never tired of its scar, shape, size.
Emaciated it might look
Distressed, it might cry
But just like the biblical words
[As the clay is in the potters hands, so are you in my hands]
So with this I can mould your face
If you are uncomfortable with it
But I live in a small world
Because am conversant with you
You are happiness
To my heart of hearts
That, gives me that pure palpitate.
As I carried your face
My eyes fixed to yours
I smiled in heaven
Can’t you see this site?
In my eyes, in my hands, in my heart
Your face is portable.
8
Can’t hurt me
Can you say no?
Can you say yes?
When we quarrel?
But you can say both
When you see me.
You can’t hurt me
Because my soul is your spirit
Because you are my bone
And because of love.
As in a paradoxical way
You can hurt me in enjoyment
But can’t hurt me in fight.
9
The two things you say
Those are the magical champions
The packet of truth
Meant to control me
“push on !”
“relax !”
To achieve an effect.
Push on, dear to get it
Relax, deary, for your life
As though pushing can do it
As though relaxing can save it
Yet in your heart
You say it like a prayer
You wish it like a wish
You plan it like a plan
And if possible
You do it like a do
To wish me the best
That’s meant for only me.
10
Spirit badminton
How it does me
Is a thing of exhilarating joy
How it does me, is with pace
It sweeps me off my feet
And took me in great care.
That’s why I yearn for it
And hoped you do so
Because you are me
The way it does me
Is with happiness without name
I can liken it to
The spirit badminton.
11
STILL ENJOY.
And I still watch that my best movie
Still eat my favorite dish.
Still wear my best clothes
Still enjoy my hobbies.
In your absence.
For I sought for your happiness.
To keep you at Bay.
By fulfilling the promises you left.
And catering for your caterings.
Such I should do
Than joining you at this failed moment.
Such you should ask me to do
If I act otherwise, I will be foolish.
12
I CHINYE AKI
In the mist of the crowd
I looked for you.
In the busy street.
I looked for you
And in the lonely bush path
I prayed to meet you.
I didn’t meet you in the intimidating crowd
Didn’t meet you, in the unaccommodating busy street.
And didn’t meet you in the strange lonely bush path
But met you on my way to the market.
To buy Coconut.
What a perfect meeting!
13
FORGONE ALTERNATIVE.
The water you splashed on me
The siliver you spat on me.
The mock you made on me.
I must contend with.
For my sake.
I can close my eyes on you.
I can look down on you.
Only if my heart accepts.
Since I can’t take the other.
Because I don’t want you to be the forgone alternative.
14
SLAP
The thought of it is bitterly powerful
The speak of it is gently superb
Reserved for the exotic one
When it came with a dreadful look
I knew it wasn’t permanent.
Never you raise five
Four
Three
Two
A finger on me.
Because that’s where you’ll dine.
15
MOVE
The day they made me angry
I sought for a movie to move me
In the comfort of my home.
In a beautiful television
In a great compact disc
In a deceiving swimming pool
In the exciting tennis court
In the welcoming football pitch
In the forgetting computer game
I sought for a move.
And in the sitting room
The unquenchable move was there
To call attention to my woes
The natural move
16
MY CLOSEST FRIEND
My closest friend told me
You see many fine things and don’t jitter?
You fulfill many erotic desires yet you don’t commit yourself?
You are wealthy but have a penchant for poverty?
And the worse you want to settle for this ugly thing?
“What ugly thing, my friend? This is Gods most wonderful creation”.
“I will settle for it”
17
DELIGHT
I saw a good dancer in you
A good dresser
A good cleaner
A good walker
A good commander
With poise
I watch you like a wrist watch
Watch you like an imbecile
To me you are a delight to watch
18
THE GIFT
To some I give my dirty hands
To some I give my unpredicted legs
To some I give my breathless nose
To some I give my deaf ears
And to many I give my deceitful heart
But to you I give my courageous tongue
Speak with it
19
THE SAFEST THING
The glory and the miracle
Had it working along
The many things are everywhere
Associated with its headache
But one thing is safe to me
When I have you by my side
The safest thing to do
Is to wear warmful wit wedlock
20
SUICIDE
Kissing and Missing you is one
Pecking and pushing you is two
For the thought of losing you is suicidal.
Why do you opt me for another?
That can rebuke you with fire.
Please find solace in me or suicide.
21
SHADOW GRAVE
They said love is like that
I disagreed with them
That your grave should be my shadow.
My shadow denied that.
Because it is not blind.
22
THE ONE THAT MATTERS.
The one that matters.
Is not a friend
That remembers once in a while.
That visits and stays with a leg
The one that matters is not a visitor
A combination of a friend and a visitor
Could be perfect
When it is the everlasting one
23
SACKED
To reject and accept
When I am sacked
In my greatest disillusion
I was shown the left
In my astonishment I was shown the right
24
SHOUT
That deafening sound
That loudest music
That uncontrollable cry
And the uncoordinated laughter
Was an excitement
It gave my workers bonuses
Paid their salary earlier
Made somebody a millionaire
The day I heard
You’ve accepted
25
FEAR
The heart didn’t tremble
The body didn’t shivered
When everyone cried
For you to listen
And make amend
Alas! When I made a statement
With a little cry
You trembled
26
DEPRECIATION
Wearing and tearing every moment
Could make it old
Cleansing and washing now
Could make it ugly
Ball rollers reduces frictional force
Oil adds to its efficiency
What you are to me depreciates
And will never get to zero.
END
