NOW PONDERERS

“Come with me,” my twin sister called,
Dragging my hand after dinner.
“There’s a man, tall and bald.
A perfect storyteller, like Kosi, only leaner.
You should see him, before he goes!”
Confused, but trusting, I go with her,
To the village square, to return before Mum knows.
Barefoot, we hurry, dashing by the river,
Under the moon, full and bright.
We see a throng of people at the square,
With curious eyes and oil lamps for light,
Around a man, speaking with so much flair.
Everyone stood entranced, listening to his tales,
He told of lands where men had the colour of milk,
Of riders of chariots that flew with metal tails,
He whispered of lands with counterfeit silk,
And how they grew poison and sold it as food.
A few scintillating lines later, he showed us a trick,
Boom. Women gasped. Babies cooed.
The tall wandering storyteller was gone in a blink.
We hurried back home, pondering on all we heard,
About the poverty ravaging these distant lands,
Instead of selling poison, why don’t they just make some bread?
Or leave the barren earth and cross the desert sands?
We got home to dad yelling and mum seething,
“Have you girls turned to night wanderers?”
His anger evident even from his breathing.
I bit back my tongue from responding, “No, Papa. We’re now ponderers.”

Rebecca Ogunnaike

Rebecca Oreoluwa Ogunnaike is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, where she serves as a serial volunteer and student leader. In addition to her medical studies and community involvement, Rebecca is a gifted writer and a creative force, excelling in various forms of creative expression; from poetry and songs to fiction and articles. She began writing at ten and has gone on to win several local writing competitions. Building worlds from words is her favourite pastime when she’s not on ward rounds or with her nose in a book,

Rebecca was aTeambooktu longlisterin our 2024 Kene Offor-Teambooktu Poetry Challenge and a member of our Honourable Mentions list for the 2025 Kene Offor-Teambooktu Flash Fiction Challenge.

• Rebecca Ogunnaike

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  February 3, 2025

  Aten’s Gate