(in honor of the late, great Roberta Flack)
Akin Jeje
Sunlight splinters over an old black vinyl record,
Its rich glossy grooves imploring
Where is the love
Dad had a Sony PS -1100 turntable housed in mahogany
Back in the 70s
Where Roberta, Donny, Smokey, Marvin,
Aretha, Fela and Bob Marley lived,
Killin’ us softly with their songs,
In a bright University of Lagos
Living rooom,
Overlooking the Osa Lagoon,
Where oil palms swayed their heavy manes,
Walls of red hibiscus, we called isapa
Flowered over building frames.
The closer I get to you
Was Mama and Daddy’s embrace.
Those nights, when they celebrated their love.
Be real black for Yemi and me.
Like a sparkling shower of
Fallen diamonds.,
Starlight simply disintegrates .
Still, I feel Roberta’s warm, lush voice embrace.
See her smiling, soft Afro crown towering,
Singing now,
To a motherless son,
The first time ever I saw your face.
Akin Jeje, Kinsman Quarterly's Literature Director, is a Nigerian-Canadian poet based in Hong Kong. His work has been published across Canada, the U.S., Singapore, Australia, the U.K., and Hong Kong. His debut poetry collection, Smoked Pearl, was longlisted for the 2009 International Proverse Prize. His poem “Ping Shan Heritage Trail” appeared in WHERE ELSE: An International Hong Kong Poetry Anthology (2023). Jeje's latest publication is write about here, and he is working on a novel, Maroon.
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