Close but Elusive by Olaewe David Opeyemi

We were no strangers;

Sheep in the same fold.

Birds wearing same feathers & humming the songs;

Fishes swimming where ever childhood flowed.

Time alone is insufficient to morph a boy into a man:

Mum said a boy must fill a puzzle;

He must unearth the lost fragment of his being.

My satellite picked your star, your radiance 

wore the magic of a magnet.

Your thought triggers a lining on my pacemaker;

Other desires embraced the wind like pigeons.

I speak to my legs:

Draw me close to her,

Move into that field,

Find a locus in her heart.

It is untrue that love doesn't cost a thing:

what of sleepless nights, skipping hearts & jittery lips.

Aren't they enough goods for barter?

Father said "a boy must summon his arsenal

 of courage to conquer in the battle of love".

So, I wore my armour & moved closer.

But you were slippery like a catfish,

Close but elusive like my shadow.

Olaewe David Opeyemi is a Nigerian medical doctor and writer. He interrogates his life experiences through writing which he also sees as a veritable instrument for personal and social metamorphosis. His works has been published by Parousia,Eboquills, BPPC, Selcouth Station, CLH and elsewhere. He's winner of Dawn of Splendour Poetry contest ( Nov.2019) and Shuzia creative writing contest ( Dec.2019).

He writes from Birnin Kebbi, Northern Nigeria. He is active on Facebook @olaewedavidopeyemi and Instagram @opeolaewe.