Late Night

late night, our hearts ticking, the crickets outside

play the the drums of their lives

the candle by our bedside flickers, flickers

billie eilish in the background, in the red background

swears she knows us

i can hear your breath rubbing against mine

your breasts flattened against my chest

what’s on your mind at this moment

wetin dey bother you?

i just dey grateful say i dey here with you

i press my lips against your scalp & say nothing

silence, like a priest

baptizes the child of our want

desire, peeled like a lime, tasted & tasted

outside the bedroom door, Lola scratches the door

her paws a muse, a music, a memento

are you gonna go get your cat

oh, he just wants attention

fine, he can come join us in bed

he’s probably going to purr into my dreams

in the silence that follows, our lips touch again, again

our bodies, our bodies, everywhere

Lola sleeps like a child, like our child

the crickets hurl the song of their lives

at the window

after,

silence, like an afobaje, crowns our sleep