I Talk to a Friend About Heartbreak While on the Third Mainland Bridge Watching the Waters

“I do not know if I can bear this pain,” he says.

Pain and its many manifestations

and your heart becomes a victim; 

another statistic of the frigidity of life.

So here I am, stuck in traffic 

admiring the beauties the waters offer.

Third Mainland Bridge has been setting 

to some picturesque Romcoms – 

Current Scene: the hero’s best friend 

encourages him to fight for love.

But I’m not having it,

not the flowery that is pop culture. 

Here, I am human, man, boy, friend

I listen with ‘heys’ and ‘awwnns’

And words like ‘you guys look great together’

And it’s true, because love makes us heroes,

larger than life, unreachable, untamable

Till breakfast is served and we remember,

Overfeeding like kwashiorkor is sickness too.

And love is food

“She was home,” he said.

Home. I know he awaits the poet in me

to spew some poetic philosophies

But today, I am linguist.

So, was: A verb, past form

and they say love should last forever.

Yet, here I am. In Lagos traffic

on third mainland bridge

overseeing the waters

This could be a setting to a romcom 

But I remember the people 

Who chose this waters as path

To the afterlife. Do not say suicide.

“When will you be home,” he asks, 

and here I become friend, home

Soon, I say. 

As soon as Lagos will let me.