Wind | By Ayoola Goodness | Poetry

because of you i have learnt how to make
rainbows with my eyes. my eyes tossing
the sun. but they do not last. the sun
burns my eyes.

i hear your name in the wind.
i want to pick it. i pick your name. like magic. cold. it
slips through the spaces between my fingers. i am hurt that
your name slips through. i am sad you do not stay.

love is a strange fire. i want to pray you
a no return to my heart. i want to bid you farewell.
i will start crying. difficult. i tell myself. i just want to live.

i set you on fire in the morning. and
when i see the smoke by dusk. i smell
my skin in the soot. i kill
myself. how did i wear you all over me?

cold. this cold needles you into my thoughts. i am
scared. i am losing me. i want to
smile. i smile. and it is not true. and the tears
are true. the mirror is a betrayer. i see you. in my
mirror. in my mother’s mirror. on the skin of water. everything
glassy.

love is strange. fire.

and

i am burning. i am sad you
do not stay.

wind.

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

About the Author:

Goodness Olanrewaju Ayoola is a poet and teacher of English. His poetry has appeared in poetry journals and anthologies. Few of his poems have garnered awards and translated into Assemese. He is currently an International Director of  the World Union of Poets and was one of the judges for the 2016 Green Authors Prize (GAP) sponsored by  Words, Rhymes and Rhythms. He is the author of Meditations, a collection of poems. He has an NCE in English and Yoruba languages and a B.A. (ed) in English.