ABRIDGED PATHOLOGY OF A SYSTEM UNDER LOCKDOWN by Ayokunle Betiku

ABRIDGED PATHOLOGY OF A SYSTEM UNDER LOCKDOWN by Ayokunle Betiku

black and brown desk globe

Abridged Pathology of a System under Lockdown 

by Ayokunle Betiku

first   the body embraces confinement

as a fast

 

interlude within the immune walls  of 

living 

 

cells      roses sprout  from the  elastic

skins

 

of  streets &  highways  bristling  with

grave

 

silence      the heart  beats well  till the 

rising

 

figures  of  fallen  bodies   go viral  &

cripple

 

a nation’s system    the walls of living

cells

 

get rigid  & extend  after heavy  bouts 

of infections

 

plague the nation      empty  stomachs

develop guts

& leave the walls      some captured by 

hosts

 

in olive  fatigues       the eyes long  for 

sights

 

behind window blinds     & everything 

held

 

in shadows leaves the body  yearning 

to embrace

 

faces   sun rays & a reed organ in the

open field

Source: From the Isolation Issue (September 2020)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AYOKUNLE SAMUEL BETIKU is a Nigerian writer who sees his fingers as bridges between his heart and the world. His works have appeared in journals and anthologies, including Parousia, Monus, EOPP, BPPC, Kalahari Review, African Writer, Libretto & elsewhere. He lives in the city of Ondo, South West Nigeria, from where he writes.

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