Your eyes succulent
Match mine
Clear, bright
Like the stripes on my back
Where I come from tigers are protected
Zebras are adored
But on my body is woven
A pattern of their colors
Deep, black, bright
Like the pain of my neglect
Fresh are the reopened scars
Bobo grips my hand today
He loves the tigers
He adores the zebra
He asks what they mean
The pattern on my back
A rainbow of neglect has been laid
Like railway tracks
Interloping, conscious
I tell him
I don’t see how he sees the scars
The scars in my heart
I guess he sees the cry for redemption
Singing from the backs of his ancestors
I carry in my heart
“A father speaks to his son about the incidences of racism and neglect which colour his life.“
Sedo Elijah Ebinne is a Nigerian Poet and story teller. He lives with his four dogs in a cozy temperamental apartment that sings lullabies when it rains.A romantic, he attempts to fuse his passion for aesthetics and culture with varying themes he considers to be much more important.You can reach him @lettersfromsedo or sedoebinne.substack.com.