To Live

A twist

A knot tightened

And then, a gentle breeze

Hibiscus flowers and yellow Roses sway in the wind

The sky clears

A brilliant blue, reassuring, promising

Reminiscent of morning dew.

Colors dance in the sun

Orange, lilac, yellow, green

A soft stream sings ...foaming at the seam

Crabs crawl

A frog skips

Palm Trees gracefully lean towards the sparkling sea

The tides turn and the waves swish and swoosh, crashing into the pale yellow shore

A loosened cord, a lone mango tree

She walks away

Free.

Ngozi Cole is a writer , living in Freetown, Sierra Leone

BENEDICTION

when my reverend baptized me

he prayed for a joy that never ends

who still plays hide and seek in the dark

or is it just me and my gang?

music in the background

bonfire to the right, barbecue to the left

and milk to wash away all our anxieties

we’re at the point where we’re neither hot nor cold, neither young nor old

just lukewarm and brimming with anticipation of tomorrow’s success stories

Lumley beach teeming with lost souls

We shine in the dark to guide them home

Like fireflies and lighthouses and music of the late nineties

Late night vibes are the nicest.

Adeola Carew is Freetown-based writer and poet.