In “Sabon Shekara,” piety becomes an immersive experience that connects landscape, memory and belonging. This poem seeks to explore the notion of place, examining the ways that memories, childhood, visions, and hopes are evoked when we think of our loved ones in the context of faith and/or legacy. As a Nigerian poet, I was thinking about my encounters with Islam, the one I first experienced when I lived in Sabon Gari as a child. From a young age, I was immersed in and fascinated by the rites of worship, and aware of how the kids in the neighborhood (spurred by curiosity and wonder) run into the mosque feeling a sense of duty and joy.
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I praise // once again I praise // salt on the window pane // I am watching // the magpies // chatter // the struggle // of this winter morning // whether or not // you are here // I remember // how to pray // my enunciation unsatisfactory // a language corrupted // for colonizers // their mythology // engrained and engraved // in my hybrid skin // hardwired into // my vocal chord // a lover that wouldn’t // let go // folded into my shirt pocket // cupping my chest // beginning to end // like a key // seared into my palms // how rich the memory // when you wake me up too early // a child // familiar with duty // in a house full of pilgrims // maybe this is why // we name every tide // a hand // the quiet in the middle of everything called “hope” // looking back now // I could see it // the invisible talisman // we hold in our hands // as we lift our heads // and kowtow // call it the joy of devotion // it’s been said // sacrifice opens your body // into a hollow // more than motion // and I’m too young // to recall it // the whole time when reading aloud // with an accent I wish for // daily // every word feels intentional // the sun waning // behind you // as the children sit against the threshold // holding their slates // and like the good child // each syllable // they write reminds me of // home // the same old joy // pouring into every heart // each time we sip and share // your story // a father’s godly pursuit // everything we haven’t learnt yet //