Àṣàké Ẹlénu Méwa | Oladimeji Edu

Àṣàké my love,

You said you are from Òyó, that you like your Àmàlà fele fele and your ewédú with gbègìrì

So, I added enough water to my life, until it was soft enough for you.

You said you are a typical Yorùbá woman. Your soup has to be peppery and always hot.

So, I painted my walls, the color of red-hot sauce and put a Bunsen burner under my skin.

You said you want gender equality and you are always busy working.

Ayadárópalé I called you lovingly, I will be your bed so you’d rest whenever you’re tired, your drug so I’d give you the necessary supplements, and your muse so I can keep you going.

You said you didn’t like the way the government treated us. So, I dusted my long used cape (white in colour) and became your angelic superhero.

You said I should not bother whenever I visited you bearing gifts, but you cheerfully accepted them from other men.

So I made my whole world into a mall. Made sure the bricklayers got the architecture right. Soon, it was opened for business. My dear, pick whatever you want.

I do not like how you play my love like Ayò, dropping metamorphic rocks on the heart I softened into a cushion for you.

Simply put, I do not like how you love me.

Ayadárópalé you said, you have insulted me.

I shall pack my bags and go to my father’s house, never to return

Maybe a man with steely resolve will find and take me away.

Oladimeji Edu is a student of Architecture at the University of Lagos, Akoka. He is a creative with creations ranging from graphic designs to literature and original photographs. When he is not creating, he enjoys deep talks with close friends, reading, or surfing the internet. Oladimeji has dreams he wants to see come to life. Writing is one of the means of achieving these dreams.

Photo by Ayo Ogunseinde on Unsplash