WHEN A BOY TELLS YOU HE LOVES YOU By: Umoru Olabode

When a boy tells you he loves you,
his words won't be easy,
his words won't be broken in English, he'll speak riddles,
he'll preach parables for your heart to be at ease.
To convey his message you'll need to focus,
on his eyes on your breast, on his lips licking sweet lies.
You'll need to focus on his accent, white and clean
laying on your shoulders ready to carry your beliefs.

When a boy tells you he loves you,
he won't mean it at first,
he'll retake the scene over and over again until he's awarded his first Oscars,
he'll cry over your dying garden, his speech will levitate,
He'll promise to bring the sun to your feet and your teeth will shine, your heart will glow,
Your stomach will unfold and break into freedom,
Your arms will open as will your legs.

When a boy tells you he loves you,
he'll be gentle as he creeps up your skin, he'll nail his words with a kiss and soon he'll leave you to hang,
Soon the over ripe memories of his fruits will rotten left for birds to scavenge,
Soon every line will fade behind his tongue.

That same boy innocent and sweet,
that same boy will rob you of your smile and paste a sour taste inside your mouth,
He'll forget to call you every morning to bring the sun to your feet,
Your teeth will become ghost haunting the hallway of your mind,
His words will be a tongue twister as he shutters the echoes will shatter your heart in darkness,
Your stomach will fold in pain, your arms will embrace your ribs
What a cold shame as your legs close at the mention of his name.

That same boy, you'll hardly remember when he said those words I love you
He chanted those spells without a wand or a warning, His voodoo is black magic and you're his sacrifice, you'll forget he's just a boy, broken by religion.

He's just a boy broken by culture, he's just a boy broken by the system.
Incomplete for you to see your reflection in him,
Too lost for you to be found in him,
Too sharp as he burst your bubbles floating in desire,
You'll forget he's just another broken boy, playing with words and spitting out fire.

SUB FREEMAN (Umoru Olabode) (Inspired by the poem "when a boy tells you he loves you" Edwin Bodney)