Its dark, there’s no electricity
The men sit around a table
Laden with palm wine and beer
Shirts off, voices loud
The women sit behind the kitchen
Raffia fans in hand, chatting away
The children are in bed
With no clothes on
Under mosquito treated nets
Their eyes accustomed to the darkness
She is a high powered executive
Yet she is a loving dutiful wife
He is a high powered executive
But he cheats on his loving dutiful wife
She raises hell, it is dark and hell is hot
She leaves, he begs, she returns
But he falls again
She raises hell, but it is not so hot
By the third and fourth time
She just complains
Her eyes accustomed
It’s dark but its how she sees
It’s Lagos, Nigeria
She looks left and right
Then jumps into her car
He winds up his un-air conditioned car
In spite of the stifling heat
Puts his mobile phone under his seat
His laptop in the boot
And locks all the doors
ALL WITHOUT THINKING
This is their normal
Fear, anxiety, more fear
Their eyes accustomed
He is only 12
But he goes with his big brother
On his nightly ritual
To pick daddy up from the gutter
Where he lays drunk
They get him home
Put him to sleep
While mama weeps and curses
He used to weep too
But he looks on
His eyes accustomed
Humanity
All different, all alike
All staring at life
Through our different lenses
All under our own clouds
As our eyes grow accustomed to the darkness
