Friday 25 August 2017

COMING HOME ON A TRAIN




Ma,
Your son comes home
And he comes on a train!

Those years of living
Living near the train station
The train's horn was our clock;
It told us what time it was
I remember hawking plantains on the streets
And returning home at nights
And when I no more could find the way
The way to my gloomy home,
I follow the train tracks
I could always trust them to lead me home
Home was where mama lay fatigued in bed
Home was where there never was enough to eat
Home was that place the sun of happiness never appeared.
I remember how you always wanted to
Take me out on a journey
A journey on a train
A journey we never could afford
Even though we wondered where the train
Tracks began and where they ended.

Today, your son returns home
And he returns home on a train
But you are no longer alive to welcome him.


MEET THE POET:

Ubaji Isiaka Abubakar Eazy holds a BA in English Language and Literary Studies. He is a fine poet whose poems and short stories have been published in both national and international journals and numerous literary blogs. He is the CHIEF EDITOR of "Literary Critics And Writers". You can reach him on +2347063369010 (Abubakar Ishaq Eazy on Facebook).