And when you design

The ultimate insecticide,

You’ll tell me about malaria,

And how I never have to worry

About artemether,

About lumefantrine,

Ever again.

And I’ll tell you about my lover,

How she runs her fingers

Through these bumps at night.

How she pretends these mosquito bites

Are nothing but bullet wounds.

How she asks with feigned concern,

Where did you get these?

How I wince as I say Kosovo-

’98-

We were outnumbered…

2. Ode to Encryption

When I came across you,

Empty as a curfew,

As dry as an outside joke,

I gripped the toilet paper tighter.

I felt the need to thank you.

But for the urgency in my bowels,

I would have knelt beside you,

Hugged you,

Kissed your dryness wet.

When I dropped the last bolus,

I felt the need to hide you,

To protect you,

But you swore by inertia to never leave.

To never surrender to another.

The next day I returned to you,

Same time.

And I met you intact.

I began to think I was missing a screw.

Maybe you were just in my head,

A figment of my hopes.

But you responded in Archimedes,

With your water levels rising with each bolus,

You responded in Newton,

Splashing water on my butt with each bolus.

_______

Moyosore Orimoloye drinks Orijin because beer is bitter and he still really loves coke. He also writes poetry.