Adesiyan Oluwapelumi
BLESS THE HEADACHE // ODE TO BODY
I
Malleable ache, bearable anguish.
Bless the headache.
And every pain that came as bone.
Bless the gravity-bearing vertebrae.
The soft bruise, the tender tear.
The loose wound, the silky skin.
Bless the knitting & the breaking.
The mild trauma, little tumors .
Bless the barring cancer.
The spiked teeth, the mane.
The whiskers of sensitivity.
The unfurling tendrils of anoxia.
Bless the ceaseless breathing.
Globulets of tiny phagocytes.
Malignant cells. Burnt lungs.
Bless the trying deaths.
II
Malodorous concentrate, pale tablets.
Bottle of ginned syrup.
Self-portrait with alcoholism.
The spent nights, the drunk mornings.
Vomit comets, hangovers, anorexia.
Reckless abandon, nudity, tattoos.
Piercing tongue, liquid apple.
Psychiatrist, Physiotherapist, Ophthalmologist.
Crime, scene, weapon: body.
Pelt ridden with spikes.
Wet burns, thick tears.
Hypothecation & damage.
Flesh & license.
Bless the unholy body.