mighty, mustafa & me (9)

mighty, mustapha &
me

for frederick balarabe miller

like three salty tears
we streaked the face
of kaduna; left wet trails
of booze & beer from
the durbar to club 69
to the costain.

the two of you celebrating
your youth; me, reclaiming
mine.

three poems of affected
virility; three separate rites
of passage for

mighty, mustapha & me.

like three vectors intersecting,
we converged at public points;
paying for nightly love &
laughter, for bargain bushmeat
to sate our gnawing hungers.

the two of you playing for sport;
me, to stoke affection.

three
stars about to nova; three ruthless,
reckless ruses were

mighty, mustapha & me.

like three endings to a bad play
we dared check the final curtain,

but down it inevitably came
scattering the actors.
mighty, to saudi arabia;
mustapha, to kaduna intrigue;
me, to uncertain zaria. three notes
lost to the chord; three trifurcating
wishes were

mighty, mustapha & me!

© Joseph McNair; 2009