Poetry by Yewande Akinse

Lagos.

I hear your name as Parisian clouds hover around me

your scented air hounds my fondest memories

as I, am a nomad on pilgrimage

I remember you – the congestion of your borders, the scarceness of power and the erraticism of sanity

I have wandered long enough on your shores for my essence to reek of your touch

and my youth of wanton caress

this mind is not the same.

I left to return on a day I know not of

I know, I am not the same

for Lagos is not for the weak
it is a trigger for the broken
leaving many words left unspoken
Lagos changes you in unspeakable ways.

this mind is not the same

 

 

Place.

what is a place?

is it the geography of unmined lands

or the minted currency of an economy

is it the uniqueness of tribe and tongue

or the hegemony of constituencies

 

what is in a place?

is it the rhythm of its people

or the poetry of its history

is it in its air or water

mass or in its land marks

 

what is a place?

is it a coming from or going into

an origin or a birthing

is it in the ecology of its noon

or in the density of rain

 

what is in a place?

is it in bodies hibernating in the sun

or in the cathedral or crescent

is it in divergence or shared descent

or in the here and now

what is in a place?

Bio

Yewande Akinse (Adebowale) is a gifted storyteller, Poet and Author of two collections of Poetry titled ‘A Tale of being, of green and of ing..’ (2019) and ‘Voices: A collection of poems that tell stories’ (2016). With over 110 published poems to her credit and counting, Yewande is one poet who doggedly seeks to change the narrative one poem at a time. Unafraid to delve into the depths of the intense, she delivers effortlessly with poise and grace by leveraging on the power of the written and spoken word in equal measure for her tongue is like the pen of a skilful poet.