Broken!
by Nelson Vincent Ayomitunde
Salty waters drip
Like the pours from a leaking keg
And adorn the soil
Like adun¹
I will go back to where we begun our love
Under the tree that lies on the mountain
Yes, the mountain inside the river Ala²
Ayanfe,³
Because you broke my heart,
The elements at War
Say Love is not Lust
From that point, I will trail my leaking pot
And with each drop of water that from it pour
I reduce your self-esteem
I can pick up the pieces of a broken heart
But the ruins of a shattered heart, I cannot bear
Ayanfe, I pray,
Before this sun sets,
Let this love die.
—
1. Adun – the sweet taste of bitter leaf
2. Ala – Division
3. Ayanfe – Beloved
More poetry on NonDoc
Nigerian poet offers up two short pieces by Nelson Vincent
Poems of war and power ‘as the dead cannot speak’ by James Coburn
Christmas poem: The Little Candlestick Girl by James Coburn
Exo-Estrogen: ‘I am eliminating my body’ by Lindsey Allgood
The Abyss of Vastness by Chantelle Cherie Cox
The Autumn Solstice by Laura Romig
All the men smile by James Coburn
Longing to bud by James Coburn
The Treaty by Katie Williams
The going price for venom by Gary Reddin
Tik-Tok master by Peter Chege
A rainbow landing at the lap of the Himalayas by Bipin Khatiwada
Drug War Delenda Est by Derek Geiger
Echoes of Love by Kariuki wa Nyamu
Love is for the birds by Wesley N. Tinga
Requiem for Bangladesh: Petals of Peace by James Coburn
Dear President by Molefi Mokhasi
At the margin of the war by Faleeha Hassan
Tell me about your rib cage by Erin Taylor
For pseudo-gardeners by Candace Liger
Oklahoma lynching by James Coburn
A Nepali Tale by James Coburn
