She stays longer in between pages of old books
And stretches her hands into pouring rain
She too has known 
What it tastes like to feed a soul
It is —
A pale dusk complete with poetry and silvery music 
The first burst of squeezed oranges 
In the pockets of her cheeks
The sea, the rain, the love, the splayed
Flower petals on long green fields 
It is when spring kills winter 
And earth unwraps its body
When paint escapes the canvas
And sloshes her skin
It is —
Groves with shadowy air
Oceans that hug her bare 
Swirling milk kissing tea
A dazed woozy sky
On a backyard swing
It is —
Novembers spent on verandas
Wind-chime breeze from the upstairs louvre
Flutter-flies when they gather
To lather her belly with butter
It is —
Peach in the air from the maple syrup jar
Easy June days
Spent on cushion sofas 
For Okapi,
Pleasure is a meal
And on, her soul grows

About the author:

Amife Sabatina is a poet and writer from Nigeria. Her debut poetry book, Little Words, is a collection of prose and poetry on the conflicting joys and angst of living. Little Words has received outstanding reviews on The Bagus NG, Okadabooks, and London Connected, among others. When Amife isn’t writing on her blog, she’s hopping continents or breathing fashion. Find more about her at www.amifeoluwa.com.

Feature image by Raimond Klavins on Unsplash