New Poetry by Fadairo Tesleem

Death eats our lands

As small as i am:

I've heard a poet saying " we all are 

characters entertaining God" (sigh)

& whenever death takes an unripe soul,

I wonder if God's still watching.

I've seen death feathering souls into -

its wilderness, and I've seen depressed

and tired souls routing around

to submit their lives.

I've read letters dead mothers send to

their existing offsprings,

Telling 'em life would always be a

place of wounds, of hurts, & of smarts.

I've seen hefty fathers digging their

children's grave, planting their body

beneath the infertility of the soul,

Posting their souls to eternity,

I wonder if God watches.

An orphan heard congregation singing

elegiac hymns at his mother's funeral,

"We shall meet at the streamside"  but

no one knows how soon that'd be, 

He spent the rest of his life counting 

stars at the riverbank.

And God is still watching?

- © Fadairo Tesleem 2022

Fadairo Tesleem is a young Nigerian poet that writes from Ilorin, Kwara state. He is a teacher, a poetry coach and a literary critic. He is a final year student at "Kamal school of Arabic & Islamic studies" Ilorin, Kwara state. He is a member of "Hill-Tip creative art foundation", Kwara state branch, also a member of "Association Of Nigerian Authors" ANA Osun state branch. His poems are published or forthcoming in Fiery scribe review, Pangolin review, Queer Toronto literary magazine, Arts lounge, Best of Africa, Blue Minaret, Down in the dirt, Ninshãr arts and the host of others. He has some poems published to his honour on some self-publishing literary platforms.

He tweets @Olakunle.