Dream Curtains Poem by Adeosun Olamide

They took my baby,
Dragged from my bosom,
He screamed, cried,
Called to me, Abe called to me
I fell, screamed- but as pursue- woke!
I came cradle lain,
Took his tiny hand
The wrist red,
His face art ash tears
His lids shut-
I woke him, I shove him
He wouldn’t oblige
By, the lamp burnt
I pulled, aye I pulled
The scorch brought
It brought him from realm sleep
Awake- I tended he soft, fed
And tossed about
So elude sleep-
But the night soon passed
For an-others rise

Accused in dock,
His hand cuffed,
He shivered,
He gallows sent-
I queried, screamed but as strived- woke!
To cradle lain,
Shivered still-
Swift pace, swift, aye swift
Pull from deaths throat-
But death throat deep-
That I flung him wall to wake
And lo, he woke
Awake- tended he soft, fed
And tossed about
So elude sleep
But the night soon passed
For an-others rise


My child, his head at gallows earth-
At noon holds,
Neck shackles worn
Upon sands he was dragged
Bruise, sting-
And at sight meet- woke!

Darkness lives the dreams tell
Death knocks- the sight heard
But dark and I, a twin apart
My art, thoughts hailed-
Towards conspiracy-
That bore true death

The riddles death bid, thoughts tells-
That by slumber his life journeys to cease
And to halt journey-
He, my own, my child shall see no sleep-
By, his hand held- letting strength flow
To toil nightly, daily- he stays awake-
But son, O son mine, dozed still
Pulled was to where lids shut- took
And three nights, just three
My weariness just and I slumbered too
Alas, he wore the noose
O sleep, sleep that was trap-
Where gallows is I came-
But the gods willed his life my hands
That sudden, their breeze woke me
Just to miss his plunge-
O I failed him, I ran his cradle
His blood boiled,
I hurried and dipped him in the fridge
There, his breathe was still
His fingers shook-
His heart tiny pieces, beats-
His stomach bulged-
So on suckled him potions,
That slays sleep-
And on- faintly lived still

But realm dark, O strong death
Shall heed no defeat,
For stood still by my door-
That a visitor soon rear,
My sisters’ came,

Saw him tied,
Sticks holding lids apart-
They called ill
And murmured about-
I knew by their murmur, their malice
That realm dark uses those we love,
Aye those we cherish to enter-
So whom we love could be greatest foe
My sisters’ mine- nurtured by this palm
Be deaths slave sent to kill child mine
So held they- to take from- baby mine
Knew not mine grasp of death when see it-
For when I heard them, I saw death
I hid my upset, wrangled not a bit
For if locked I, my child from them-
Death shall find other means
But what if killed this death,
What if I poisoned it?
His servant shall be unwilling-
They shall know a light burns around me-
A flame hungering for them
And it was the water, plain they drank
And there death- death, stiff before me
But death odor -reeked all about
And not a beggar was that wasn’t smelly too
They, idly beings traced odor to my door
I smiled, took them where death lain
And how- I told
But reasons gave seem naught-them
That shackles brought, tied me up
And pronounced insane, to be kept locked
So my split from son,
So they took him death!

My scream, my plead heeded not
As deaths wish they carried on
And morning, that pregnant morning
They brought news his death, my child
And accused I, wore me guilt
-A murderer
Who sleep starved son, weakened child
And acts done death due-
I hear here- I deserve gallows
How demons better me
But my son, my mourning
That I prayed death my way-
Soon sleep came and remained
I world here came
Where son lived still-
For in moment his plunge,
He was spared-
Said all my atonement paid his sin-
And sentence pronounced-withdrawn
So on dwelt forever here
Aye here in dreams
And asleep- tended I soft, fed
And bear so to lure, did sang
And not passed-for forever live