STREAMING THROUGH THE YEARS THAT NEVER DIE
Once a Survivor, Always a Survivor
On the screen was a boy,
made of blood and water,
in bits and bubbles,
in smiles and swings;
He sleeps through the night
counting shadows, naming stars,
from a tiny room to a large classroom
patiently building a crescendo of times and seasons.
In one day, a shy boy changed into a brave man —
yonder he wrestles with mysterious weights,
with weapons known and unknown
against the clouds of grief
against the fortresses of families
against the tunnels of endless showers
against the wiles of fake smiling breeds
descending through the sky of existence.
Still, beneath the hums of eighty years ticking by,
and a moment of blinking strange angles,
snow white pains shroud his thick black lashes
giving way to the shallowness of
his once famous eyebrows —
the swooning wand of the ladies in tow—
originally encrypted by his bone and marrow.
In the mirror is a soft weary voice
the sounds of an unyielding fighter;
he smiles unashamed at his grandchildren
flashing no set of whites, all plucked out by
the angels of time; Slowly, he tells the story
he can remember, the ones he saw,
the ones he dreamed of and the ones he never knew.
Again, he’s a boy all over again
made of blood and water
in chins and cuddles,
in soaps and spaces,
patiently waiting and counting
through the daylight of time.
© Oluwatosin Okupa August 2023
This is a response to August’s Second Week Prompt of Lifeline.
“Compose a poem that captures the beauty and wisdom that come with growing old. Reflect on the journey of life, the passage of time, and the unique perspectives that only age can bring. Use vivid imagery to convey the emotions and experiences that accompany the later stages of life.”
Every home has an elderly person, a senior citizen… I’d rather call them, ‘SURVIVORS’ who have walked through the path of life undeterred. When I came across this prompt, I was reminded of my grandparents and the history they’ve been able to create and still creating, down into the lives of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I’m thankful for the opportunity to meet them and relate with them. Needless to say, I’ve got to pay them a visit soon.
🔮OCEANIC BITES FROM ME TO YOU:
Would you be paying your oldies (parents, grandparents) a visit soon? And if you’re not on good terms with them, this might be the time to reconsider and make that move because they really don't have all day. Yes, they have today but what about tomorrow or the next? They’ll be fine, I know. How about you? Will you really be fine?
Hola! Oluwatosin Okupa here from the shores of Ecstasy. Glad to have you here!!!
