The Young Man and The Sea | By Iyanu Adebiyi and Joshua Omena | A Poem

Their love had eyes
with which to cry
many rivers that would
forever drown the earth.

She asked:
What if the skies were the oceans
and the oceans the sand,
would you walk on water?

He replied:
First,
I would run back to earth
barefooted with heavy eyes,
then
I would fall to sleep
like a bat
and dream upside down
so that I can wake
in an inverted reality
and walk on transparent waters.

Bathing him with laughter,
like the cackle of many streams
drowning into oceans,
she said:
You are a man with a boyish heart
and your eyes are envied
for they are heavy
with peace on their lids,
grave stones of shiny pebbles
as they are.

Go ahead,
walk with the waves,
fall into dreams of rising tides,
but watch where you walk,
for these waters lie
with many transparent lies.

And with a caressing tongue,
he spoke:
I will take your counsel
and do the impossible with caution
I will tread on you carefully
and feel your black waves
rush past my face,
like hair in the wind.

You are the oceans,
waters of the earth.
I will dream of your fluctuating tides
and taste your salty lips
with closed eyes.

And
if I fall as a prey
to your lying waters,
I will drown
and become part of you.

If the skies were the oceans
and the oceans the sand,
I will walk on you
as the rays of the setting sun.

His words tore her apart,
into many tiny pieces,
so she asked:
Do you dare to withstand
the jabbing stares
of the raging sun?
Do you swear that its fierce eyes
will not consume your heart?

If I sit here and let you
become a part of me,
will I not die with you
as you die into me?

But he was stirring her
in a way
she loved and hated,
all at the same time,
undecided,
she said:
You are like the wind
cradling songs of beauty
on its fore limbs,
songs that churn the insides
of this troubled sea
to bring forth gold fishes
that sprout legs
that run deeply into me.

He whispered:
I have stared at the sun,
your ever blazing face,
and it consumed me,
or don’t you see
the sunburns
as lipstick stains on my brain?

I am the wind
that stirs your waters
and as you sleep tonight,
glistering under the moonlight
like a sea of diamonds;
I am the breeze
that walks on water,
your waters.

She was the dance of spirits,
ebbing and tiding,
back and forth.

And like the wind,
he kept on floating,
with no anchor.

**************

Post image by timothy_ckc via flickr.

About the Author:

Iyanu Adebiyi is a Law student and writer, who performs poetry. Her poems and videos are published on her social media platforms.

Joshua Omena is a Nigerian who loves writing and reading. He is a daydreamer and a night walker. He has been published on several literary sites/blogs.