IT ALL BEGINS WITH SILENCE

Tukur Loba Ridwan

it’s our first time together in this room

our synergy starts with a serene ambience

abreast, we sit and share the same monologues

in our heads—of how to relish the moment

before the day calls it a day

then rinse

and repeat

every single day

we share the air’s suave whispers

our hearts speak in voices too loud

for the ears to filter

our minds transmit signals and connect dots

of unspoken words trailing the clockwise trajectory

of time, and the room’s fragrance

plastered by your perfume

like the windows, our mouths open

slightly, to launch the first word

and unburden our minds of doubts

sinking us deep in the abyss of silent questions

then you called my name, Loba

and drew me closer

for our bodies to say things too heavy

for our tongues

About the Author

Tukur Ridwan (He/Him) is a Nigerian poet who explores existentialism through dualism, solitude/silence, memories, lust, and loss. He won the Brigitte Poirson Monthly Poetry Contest (March 2018), authored A Boy's Tears on Earth's Tongue (Authorpedia, 2019), and The Forgiveness Series (Ghost City Press, 2022). He tweets @Oreal2kur and Facebooks @Loba_Ridwan.

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