"Golden Child" and "Reservoir of Time" by Chidiogo Anemelu.
Golden Child
A child of the sun,
Of deep melinated skin.
Your smile could cast rainbows
Miles across the sky,
As the sun peeks
Through the cumulus clouds.
Overton is where you called home.
Made of blood stained pavement
Where needles lie disposed like compost.
Lodged in a black mother’s throat
Lies an unwritten eulogy,
For the baby that lies cocooned in her womb.
In the hood before you’re born
Your casket is made, awaiting
For your corpse to be anointed in holy oil.
Was only a matter of time, before
The streets swallowed you whole
And buried you six feet deep
Into the hold ground.
You’ve left this Earth,
But your memory still rooted
In the streets you walked
The stories you told
In the home you once lived.
Reservoir of Time
I look into my grandmother’s eyes,
And I see a reservoir of time;
Filled with knowledge, memories, and tales of home.
The wrinkles on her face
Resemble the path of a small river creek;
It tells the endless stories of her past
And the adventures and journey of living in the motherland.
Her reflection,
Intensifies her yearning to be back home
One last time.
To feel the unabated yet familiar sun,
To hear the familiar tongue of our people.
Her favorite past time is when the music is playing,
And she’s dancing as if kissing the ground with her feet.
The long walks and early morning swims,
While preparing to collect water.
Being reminded of the beauty in the simplicity of life.
She is a reminder that time is like a shooting star
If you blink,
It might be missed.
I have learned to trust the timing of life
When I choose to lose track of time,
The pieces of the missing puzzle
Finally assemble together, forming the perfect marriage.
I wish to age like wine
Becoming of a new aroma and essence,
Smooth, rich in flavor.
Chidiogo Anemelu is an emerging writer based in Philadelphia, PA. Her future goals include becoming a published book author and educator. She aims to inspired through her creative writing. She has poetry featured in Call + Response Journal, Volume I.