Taofeek Ayeyemi
Epiphany
a city dips its root in the belly of the universe. like a spider, it traverses landscapes with its web. its confluence leads to many roads: one to the palace, one to the market, one to the farm, one to the shrine, one to the forbidden forest, one to a field of pomegranate, some to nowhere, one back to wherever you are coming from, and the last leads to a meadow where the smell of lavender, chamomile, and yarrow lingers.
at the peak of noon, i gather a handful of the city’s sand. its sun burns my palm. a sudden wind scatters it into disappearance. butterflies appear, each perching on flowers of their own colour: papilio ulysses on pansy, monarch butterfly on black dahlia, swallowtail on peony, clouded yellow on daffodil, blue morpho on hydrangea—all leaving a taste of rain in my mouth.
wind whistle...
a bevy of crows
adds their note
About the Author
Taofeek Ayeyemi, aka Aswagaawy, is a Nigerian lawyer, writer and author of a haiku chapbook, Across the Full Moon (Mamba Africa Press), and a haibun chapbook, Dust and Rust (Buttonhook Press). A BotN and Pushcart Prize nominee, he has published work in Akitsu Quarterly, Cattails, Frogpond, and elsewhere. His haibun “Banga” won the 2021 Loft Books International Flash Fiction Contest.
I love this poem. Thank you!
Sara Tropper
Hi Sara. I’m glad to know that you love it. Thank you for stopping by.
Taofeek.
What a lovely and diverse journey your haibun took me on!
Hi, Tom. I’m happy you find it transitory. Thanks for the feedback
I love your imagery. I can visualize winding through this city and finding those butterflies! Though I suspect this is somewhere in Nigeria, it reminds me of home in the Caribbean.
Yes, this is Nigeria. And I’m happy to know you find it resonating to your home in the Caribbean.
Thank you, Colleen, for the remark.
Thank you for this interesting haibun. I enjoyed reading it from your unusual first line.
Thanks for stopping by, Jo.
I’m glad it interests you and you find it enjoyable.
Full of rewarding surprises. Thank you!
Alice, I’m happy you got the various surprises.
Thanks for reading.