Poetry by Gabriel Bamgbose

Three
Poems

By Gabriel Bamgbose

Sunday,
December 15, 2013.

You’d soon be weaned

You suck my breast

To nourish

Your broad chest

To show your relish

Your tongue you click

And my tit you bite

And your mouth you lick

All day and night

            You’d soon
be weaned

Bask now my bouncing baby

Cry now to keep my tit

In the corner of your mouth

Only for the fun of it

Thunder to suck for health

And bite and giggle for its pleasure

Checking my mood

With the corner of your eyes

Cry and suck my child

Suck and bite my child

Bite and laugh my child

Laugh and check my face

Just do what you will

            You’d soon
be weaned

I can see you toddling

Rising and falling

In your unsteady movement

Hope smiles on my brow

That you’d soon begin to walk

And the days of the breast sucker

Will soon be over

            You’d soon
be weaned

Do what you will now

With my breast my child

You’d soon be weaned

And once again

I’d wear my maiden mask

And once again

Become the cynosure of all eyes

Do what you will now

With my breast my child

You’d soon be weaned

They said the time will come

They
said the time will come 

when
the father will not know his son

and
the mother will care less about her daughter

when
the sun will glow with darkness

and
the moon will remain bloodshot

when
confusion will turn the world upside down

and
chaos will set itself remorsefully above order

                                                                                   I have
heard of it

They
said the time will come 

when
the father will strive to inherit his son

            in all desperation 

and
the mother will see nothing dishonouring

            in flirting with her daughter’s
hubby

when
the king will long to add his daughters

            to his host of harem

and
the queen will plot to take over the throne

            satisfying her lustful drive with a
lanky royal slave

                                                                                              I
have thought of it

They
said the time will come 

when
men will have the urge of lust for men

and
women too will feel the same for women

when
unlike poles will begin to repel

and
like poles will begin to attract

                                                           I
have felt of it

They
said the time will come 

when
those dealing in cloths will clad

            themselves in wretched rags

and
butchers of herds will still

            their troubled worms with fat bones

when
carvers will clutch

            their woods for food as if it were
their gods

and
preachers will give

            their holy books business
orientations

                                                                         
 I have seen of it 

 Song of a Child

When the boatman

 Paddled him down to
this shore

  On the torrent of
blood and water

   Through the narrow
river

    Edged with thick
forest

     In his innocence

      He sang the song

       Heralding his
arrival

        Into this part
of the world

         The song was
sweet

          To the ear

           The song
that threw up

            A welcome
fiesta

             Making
some tipsy

              And some
tired

               He held
his fist firm

                Like a
valorous boxer

                 Ready
for rounds of victory

                  In
the ring of triumph

                   How
fast the song

                   
Lost its first euphonies

                    
How fast the tunes

                     
Become cacophonous

                      
When it echoes

                        Into the true rhythm of
lifeGabriel Bamgbose is a Nigerian writer and
critic. He is currently teaching in the Department of English, Tai Solarin
University of Education, Nigeria. He is the founder and editor of Ijagun Poetry Journal. He has published
in different academic journals. Some of his literary works have appeared in Sankofa Magazine, The Literary Yard, BareBack Magazine, Online Nigeria
and Ijagun. Also, one of his poems is
included in the longlist for the 2013 Ghana Poetry Prize. His collection of poetry, Something Happened after the Rain, is
forthcoming.

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