Yussif Ahmed Ibn Yussif

Like the ice breaks So does the heart But the mind makes it resilient Something the ice lacks   For so long, you held my heart Like the mountains hold the earth without fail Never moving an inch Always a whisper away   You gave me love And I laughed You smiled and tripped But stayed and never strayed   Your love runs in my veins. On days when I miss you most It clots Attempting to suffocate me A little reminder of how much love I deserve Even from a distant figure of unfading memories   Inevitably, time and land Widened the gap between us Disintegrating our unripe love In those moments of space Without your presence Talk without your response Pain without your comfort I was forced to love myself The way you loved me   Even now, here and now Your love fills a void But it also creates another one An even bigger one Because, for you, leaving is inevitable, Sadly.                          Yussif Ahmed Ibn Yussif    

When we first spoke I felt seen In ways  never before So I kept looking for more of me In your eyes   The feeling was unnatural to me To feel lost and ominous for so long And out of nowhere, a reflector shows up Showing you not just your scars But your perfections too   New understanding surfaces Curing all that blotted out all goodness Darkness into light Sunshine in the night Up and bright   To be perfect is not to be spotless To be perfect is to embrace the scars And flaunt them Till the scars become scary To the scoundrel   You see me And I see me New day

It looked shallow But he still wallowed Not knowing   Sinking isn’t drinking Neither is filled, any satisfying   The bank of the river always looks Sandy But each particle of sand is Shaped differently   When the sea waves move the water to Cover your feet The feeling is different Depending on your state of mind   First, it was your eyes And the beauty that lies In them But now, it's more than that   The whispers of the night The morning adornments The sparks in your voice when you speak of me And what is mine   The blossoming of what could be The strides of your heart The crosses of mine And the intersecting threads   Now, I realize my folly Of folding upfront Now, I unfold Spreading to the ends of the world What could amaze it

We lay on the floor Well, half bed, half-floor Our backs against each other Not talking Just lying there   I rubbed my back against hers I took her hand Robbed her smallest finger Then her ring finger Then her palm   From a distant place, I felt something A surge of emotions Emotions that have eluded me for so long   Tears stood in my eyes I wanted to speak But my voice was chocked So I just lay there Hoping she’d speak But she kept mute   A shut mouth threatening To rip apart a heart that was full So I just kept rubbing her fingers   Finally, "are you hungry?" She asked I smiled And found the strength to get up   Love comes in varying forms and shapes What's yours?

Shattered into pieces She shelved herself Hoping to come back stronger Alone, and bigger   She hadn’t realized it yet But she was stronger, alone A lone wolf Who either leads the pack Or walks alone   She had mingled Lost her mojo Attached to the other And let down   Good thing No? Doesn’t it get worse Before it gets better? Now she knows Not to shed her husk Without a backup skin   Like the lone star, she shines Brighter and better But she was still worried About all the stars That had deserted her She was broken, Inside out   But now, she is formidable In ways that amaze The crowd surges forward But she is far ahead Because like the lone star, She shines brighter all on her own.

Waist in the balance The last straw Consequences be damned But no Not this time Mirrors show our inner self But you have to be willing to see it Else, all you see is your ugly face   In the distance, The sky and the earth began to make out In silence, they took turns Swinging to different sides of the room   Their groans, loudly silent Present, only to the eyes Absent to the ears Let those in the act perceive The universe is moving in your direction   In a split second, they made a baby The sky changed colour, the baby The sea responded accordingly   From under me, She moaned and asked, amidst it "Do we want a baby?"           TO BE CONTINUED...                                    Yussif Ahmed Ibn Yussif                                    ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com

That vim, it vanishes A body that builds, well, it breaks Strength wanes Then the body becomes frail   Humans expire Not just after death But also before it And it’s dire Every day that passes Your worth to this world diminishes Finally, your name will be showered away Except for those you did good to The ones you touched, gently   When next you think of a legacy Think of the person next to you.                        Yussif Ahmed Ibn Yussif                       ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com

In the heat of the moment He wondered how fast losing your mind could be He reminded himself of all the reasons To stay away from it But before he realized It was done   People talk of self control As though it’s a magic pill Swallow it and all your impulses are within your control But here he is, time and again, losing to his most deafening fears   Lots of people need help With so many stuff Including self control   Self control is not a piece of cake You cant just slice it And have your piece   Lets offer the help we can           Yussif Ahmed Ibn Yussif             ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com

When I climbed down from the tree You were there Waiting To offer the sweetest of pep talks I didn’t understand   So I looked back But when I turned to your position You had vanished I froze A voice from behind probed “Do you really like her?” I said, yes, I do The voice said “You barely know her” I asked, “does it matter” Then the voice disappeared   You are a girl of many things Built into a formidable force Picking the pieces into peace   Just the way you are.            Yussif Ahmed Ibn Yussif             ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com

The river wasn’t flowing It wasn’t still either Staring between the prisms of confusion and clarity Nothing more puzzling   Most often, we think we know We think we understand But, significantly, we neither know nor understand   The pendulum of balance Isn’t always balanced Tipped to one side And the other side falls short   The sun shines so we can see But others wear glasses when the sun shines The pieces can be peace And peace can be pieces            Yussif Ahmed Ibn Yussif            ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com

The bed continued to creak A sign of bravo, I suppose Or disgust   In the gentle moaning of her pleasure I’m pleased But in the silence I am pained   In the echoing of her ‘harder’ I thrust The silence that follows Is a reminder of ‘push’ And the image it forms on the mouth of nurses   The waist is raised The thrust of thrusts The inevitable is at hand TO BE CONTINUED...           Yussif Ahmed Ibn Yussif           ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com

It had only been several days But worth a thousand years suffering   Memories began to be shaky Falling off like rotten apples Suddenly, the impotence of potential Energy was potent   Love bonds And it breaks   Like dust She blinded me But now I see, clearly   Question; Can the truth Turn false                 Yussif Ahmed Ibn Yussif                 ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com  

No statistics But even if it’s only one person who dies from accidents every year Don’t we still need to be extra careful on the road? Both drivers and pedestrians Instead of the requested bread A body is returned to the family Speeding, carelessness, drunk-driving Turns travels into carnage More rigorous enforcement of the laws is required Citizens must wield responsibility  On the road  And the police on the road need to be more rules oriented  Instead of money oriented Accidents continue to flood our roads  Yet drivers continue to speed without facing punishments Passengers continue to look on while they are put in jeopardy Bad road cause accidents Our misuse of good roads cause accidents As a people, what do we seek? On my way to Accra three days ago A speeding vehicle almost collided into the vehicle I’d boarded The speeding vehicle had overtaken another vehicle in a curve Our driver had to quickly apply breaks  And simultaneously steer off the road This could have ended badly for

A hand came for mine Resistance faded away. Has a hand ever caressed your body The most sensitive parts of it   Like electricity, she sent sparks down my spine Her caressing, a gentle release of electric shocks I returned the favour, ten folds   Bodies slumped like emptied sucks Only this time, with brains The heart kicks in Racing the mind   A salivating throat Thirsty lips A gaping mouth A receptive space And a stiff stick*   Peel Unpeel   TO BE CONTINUED .......                  Yussif Ahmed Ibn Yussif                  ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com

Flowery, but deadly Some, just a phase Others, it’s a façade It could be fake Or fact   Either way, no blames We aren’t that different We are all flamy* Who doesn’t hide the ugly Who doesn’t show the not ugly   Forgive his half truths He wishes to tell you more But the world is not accustomed To accommodating the ugly And guess what, you’re his world                 Yussif Ahmed Ibn Yussif                 ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com

And for a minute I thought you were available for a talk To shoulder But when I dialed your number I felt numbed   The newest of similar occurrences When I feel edgy I miss your prodding But I have to prove Myself now Only, not to you But to me   No, I’m not heartbroken Only, I’m heartbroken Smiles...                    Yussif Ahmed Ibn Yussif                     ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com    

H eart in hand A brain fixated on one thing   The holder unzipped And it all came down Revealing what beholds the eye   A first timer My eyes fell to the ground Look up, she said, softly   It wouldn’t be fun if forced Either way, it’s your choice Your moment is now   In the back of my mind, Thoughts began to fill up space What if the moment passes If I snooze, I loose I froze   With eyes that longed for something Wet like winter flowers Shedding its leaves In ways that leave spring unappreciated Two steps forward  A shifty movement A hand came for mine Resistance faded away.   To Be Continued …….               Yussif Ahmed IBN Yussif                ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com

  Over the years, I have seen Godly acts in my life Sometimes I wonder what it is Is it God manifesting his goodness through the human hand? Or God just created human beings to extend a hand When others need it most So, I wonder all the time The sharp contrast between human cruelty and generosity The ones who think themselves created in the image of God And the ones who think themselves servants of God Yet never help their neighbour Why? Is your resemblance of God only physical? Or is your service to God only spiritual? God is generous, faithful, productive, loving, caring He is not cruel, high-handed, selfish, wicked, etc Why so much vice in society? Yes, we were created fallible  But, isn’t that the biggest excuse to be evil?

Like the broom, Death sweeps  In bunches and singles Like the next rubbish, You could be the next sweep Doesn’t it occur to you That your creator is also the creator of all things And He tasked you to take charge Not to lord And yet, you turn up a lord Even over your fellow humans Human beings are of two kinds We are either brothers/sisters in religion Or equals in humanity Death is the next second But life is now; this second So live  Before you are swept away                  YUSSIF AHMED IBN YUSSIF                   ahmed.yussiph@gmail.com

 I trembled But I assembled And then I pretended  Honestly, I don’t know what to write to you I hadn’t felt before, how I felt when I first spoke to you That morning, even jokingly, Your kind and loving words sent chills down my spine Once upon a time, I loved someone  But it never materialized So, technically, I am still a novice at love. So, for you to speak to me that way, Gave me an idea of what love could be. Or am I wrong? You’re generous with words Flavored with swords Enough to wound an ailing heart Or cure it, sorts I told Ruth  Of how you roughed me “Anything you need, I am always there for you.” That’s what you said And even as a joke, It brought tears to my eyes. I light up, every time I see your call You are an embodiment of what love could be Sprouting like an endless spring Meandering through blistered hearts Inspiring spears To piece together for peace Love is beautiful, MAYBE Friday, March 5, 2021 1:11 AM.

One afternoon, like a lizard I clung to a wall as she passed My mouth opened And instantly closed Fear? No Sheer desire to quench the flavour Of a perceived amazing adventure That would either ruin or rise   Lost in myself Found in another   If I could sever my heart from my chest Or my brain from my body The opposites of the same position Thwarting eithers threats and twists The lips, fixed   With a heart that yearned for yours A brain that resisted to think A mouth that refused to open My instantly wobbly legs slowly carried my heavy head away She disappeared into the crowd And I disappeared into my emotions.   The thoughts of what could be Trust me, she is amazing in every way possible   The roots of the very tree That would either provide me shade Or crush me to shreds kept growing Feeding from the nutritious emotions I harboured In my heart The leaves, greener The trunk, bigger The roots, stronger I shuddered