Waiting for Adamu

The sun shine. Wake! Wake!! Wake up everyday, ha!!!. I not tired, I not just want to wake. The sun never hot but light shine well on grass, on tree, on wall, on car. Everything fine. Allah Seriki Even tree I sleep under fine too. It almost fine like big house I am look at. I joke. The house fine well. It big man house, even tree is big man tree.
I wait for the one is fine most plenty to come out. Gate open. I shift back, hide well well under tree. Brown shoe with plenty shine I see first. Socks white like sugar. I look up and up until I see fine face. Walahi, Allah no for allow this angel come this life with plenty palaver. Her “Baba” tell her to hurry, take her to car, drive off. Pikin to school; Baba to work. Pikin look back from inside car. Maybe she see me. No. Inside my inside, I know she not.
School is place plenty pikins come together to learn many things. I never enter but Adamu, my friend, tell me so. He enter school before. When his Baba and mama have not die. Me, I never know Baba and Mama. Maybe in paradise, only Allah Know. Adamu say u read book, learn English, numbers, Arabic, plenty things till your head full well inside school. Adamu teach me plenty English like I am speak now. He good friend. Where he?
When Adamu come, we go look for work. Maybe we find peoples with need for wash cloth, wash car or maybe fetch water. We collect money, go buy bread and Kose. Very sweet sometimes, sometimes it tired me but it cheap well so we eat it every day. If no work, we go beg. I no like beg so no beg but steal food. No steal money. Only steal food. Only steal what we need of.
When we finish eat. Adamu always we go pray. I always follow to pray but I not like to. I prefer go look for more work. Because night come soon and then it not safe to move round. Then the big boys move round. They beat small boys, collect small boys money and touch small boys in private place. Sometimes they even… lai lai… I cant talk it. They always do bad things to small boys. Adamu always say Allah protect small boys but I think under tree protect better.
Life go on and on. Same way everyday. Look fine girl go school for morning, work, eat, work, eat, sleep. I will like go school too so I can know more English. Maybe I even go same school like fine girl. Adamu say school need money and we no have money so no school. Adamu once have plenty money but when Mama and Baba die, Baba brother (Adamu say uncle) collect all money and house and turn Adamu to houseboy. Adamu do plenty work, no go school again and Mr. Uncle always beat Adamu. Adamu now run away. If Adamu have all the money, maybe we go school together with fine girl. Buy car too.
But we hear plenty money come soon. But before money come, trouble come. Big man want to make trouble for small people. Time to change governor have come so plenty fight about to start. They say it Kaffir that cause all the trouble. If only us good muslim in state, we no need to fight. So, we need to keep to fight kaffir till they all run away or become good muslim too. But sometimes I not sure it kaffir that cause all the trouble. I just confuse cause it kaffir that give us plenty work and plenty money. After they give money, Adamu always wash money caue of kaffir hand. I not wash money cause wash money have bad smell.
Where Adamu? I hungry now. Maybe he wait to hear about plan for fight from motor park. Adamu sleep in bus at night. Why Adamu always waste time like this? We just go mosque for Juma’a and from there we march go fight Shikena. We – the small boys plus the big boys – go fight. Big man stay with big man pikin 4 house. It will good if they follow us I say to Adamau. Adamu say I talk too much, too ask question. He only like to obey what Big man tell him. That way he become Big Boy soon.
I not want become Big boy. I want to go school and become big Man. I want to go London and Mecca. I want build big house and school for all Almajeri when I become Big Man. I want to drive car like fine girl Baba. I tired for trees, mosquitoes and Big Boy wickedness. I tired for fight, fight, fight. I tired for hungry. I tired for bread and Kose. I tired for plenty wahala. I tired to wait for Adamu.
(To be continued… I am not sure why Adamu has kept away so long but I’ll go look for him.)

01.35am… Awake, beside the one who moves me.

I feel her nudge
A slight carress
Seep subtly through
Slumber most sweet

I turn to her
She sleeps right on
I steal a look
One slow sweet stare

And through the dark
Behold her face
In constant glow
Of beauty pure

In silent hues
Of nature’s gift
Loveliness true
Makes my soul ache

And then she turns
Too great a view
To be sustained
Even so long.

I hadn't written anything in a long while till this poem. It was a burst of sweet relief to find that my muse had finally smiled on me with sweet sweet grace. I am alive!!!