POEM: SILENCE by Oluwatunmise Esther

 

Silence. Gloom. Clashing of cups. Silence

Silence seemed the only language mother could speak

As we stared at father’s portrait / eyes brewed with tears.

No one goes on a journey forgetting home,

But what if home has become a den of demons?

What if home has served us tragedies / in wooden plates?

Silence seemed the only cord / connecting my family members,

Maybe silence was the only balm mother needed

To soothe the hurt gnashing at her soul.

The moon was my mother’s role model,

It comes out only at night / just like my mother does

At night.

Home has become a broken bottle / ebbing out joy

Ever since father was murdered in cold blood before our eyes,

And our cries for help / became washed into the drain.

And now mother’s smiles have become memories.

But then, mama in her silence still looks up to the heavens

From whence cometh her help.

Mama in her silence, still keeps hope alive.

Oluwatunmise Esther is a poet and spoken words artiste. She often acts as a compere in literary programs. She has performed on several notable stages and loves reading, writing and touching lives with her words. She is currently a 300 level law student of the university of Ibadan. She writes from Ondo state.