http://penastory.com/2016/03/04/poetry-play-17/

Samuel Oluwatobi Olatunji and Nellie V. O.



S:

Can you hear the rhythm of the rain?

Do you understand the tongue of thunder, or the language of lightning?

N:

Can you feel the wind as it brushes past your skin?

Or hear the droplets as they make their way into puddles?

S:

The sky bleed with no doctor to bandage its wound

It bleeds onto the swollen foot of the gods

And the lightning laughs at it

While the thunder testifies of the sky’s trouble

N:

The squirrels scamper to their tree holes

And the snakes imitate the same into the ground

The tears of the sky ceasing not

S:

The inebriated earth now emits back sky’s tears

And its vomits flood both the flora and fauna

N:

But can we question this?

Of course not

For we have no control over any

Being only human

S:

Can’t we beckon the rainmaker

To cast charms on the sky before the sky uses us

As handkerchiefs to wipe away its tears?

N:

Or can we go on our knees and succumb to the punishment of our deeds?

S:

If we do that, the water will feed on our weakness

And waste us

We are supreme beings;

A king doesn’t kneel, even before a kinsman

N:

As supreme as he is…

A king also listens to his people

Levelling himself to hear their opinion…

S:

Being keen differs from kneeling

It’s a long walk from the ear to the knee

Knightly kings don’t engage in this walk

N:

Truth be told

Humility is the backbone of success

As humble as nature is to the voice of the gods

So should we all to the voice of nature

S:

If so, let us all succumb to this sea knocking on our doors and walls

Let us die water-death

How beautiful it is to be buried in a liquid coffin!

N:

For death is death

Be it liquid or solid

For you know not when you die

As quickly as you forget the cause of death

NB: Poetry Play, a product of Artilogue in partnership with PenAStory, is a game in form of poetic dialogue for every poet on BBM. It is a game of two poets: one drops a line or more, and the other replies, flowing along until one of them gives up, or the poem gets too long. Every poem formed from this game will be published here (penastory.com) every Friday and Saturday. So poets, are you ready to play? If yes, contact Samuel via BBM: 7f5210ec

Source: PenAStory www.penastory.com