Poetry: For Mohmoh by Samuel A. Adeyemi
“For Mohmoh” is a subtle elegy with a visceral echo. Written to honor the memory of a boyhood friend lost too soon: it is delivered through the lens of a brief yet buoyant brotherhood.
For Mohmoh
When I remember you, I remember us—
two boys running around the front
yard, our mothers’ voices like arrows that
do not wound but halt. & soon we’d
stop chasing, the dust falling on our little feet.
I fear this is all I have left of you—
memory so frail, it cannot weave you back.
On the day of your death, I wept but
barely enough. Perhaps I was too young for
grief, my sorrow too fleeting to be named
sorrow. I think of you now & I can hear a
pattering, like a quick pelt on the roof of
my heart. I imagine those are your feet still
running, so I drum my fingers against my
chest, pretending to follow you again.
Samuel A. Adeyemi
Samuel A. Adeyemi is a young writer from Nigeria. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Palette Poetry, 580 Split, Leavings Lit Mag, The Shore, The Rising Phoenix Review, African Writer, The African Writers Review, Jalada, and elsewhere. When he is not writing, he enjoys watching anime and listening to a variety of music. You may reach him on Twitter and Instagram @samuelpoetry
