The precision of MEASUREMENT!
By Poornima Laxmeshwar
I understood how good you were
When you divided our short meeting
Into perfect QUARTERS
You were so aware of every hour that we spent –
Smoke, drinks, love-making and poetry - a quarter for each.
Like you could divide the day into perfection
And slot them out like waves ready to soar exactly after the other
You know when I fell in love with you –
Not in that instance when your crude hands
Held the joint for me
Or not when you scrambled the eggs with such focus that it seemed as tough as art –
But in that moment when you picked your favourite book of Kolatkar and recited Pi-dog,
I knew it had to be you
You breathed proportions.
Breaking up came easily to you
And you divided me precariously
Maybe you were getting too high, of late
Your hands were shivering
You didn't realise it then but you cut a piece of yourself and gave away a chunk of your heart
That I carry in the darkness of my womb
Where you find me
Is where you will find your missing self
OMIA Kpakpa
Poornima Laxmeshwar taa
Nje igbegenp alphilea
Eko naje Obataha ka 190 kpii
Ko ega ENE yili a
Aje Ejeji awa n'alg ge ba
Ge gw'utaba, eje, y'ih9tu mla ypi k'ichi
Olebeka ale echi ko dill a
� *■ ~
Ogbia Openyl ne ge beche Ogbogba ga ye a
Aje eko num je ihotu kwuo an
Owe eko n'abo ogwuda kwu o bi akwutd gam
Mani eko na yoi wia aigwu mla ogbeyi gpgn
Amani eko na yoi je pkpa kolatkar yq\ je pi-dog
Nje ka awo ne
Owu ofu kwuo we alewa
Oko ike le ono tuon
\ * J I
Ake lum ko bobi
f S
Ikohi igbihi ajea a-gbo je nwune
Abo kwuo gboo fie egbulu
Aje eko Oman, aman ale iyo k'epa ke
Kwu einehi k'otu kwuo gam ne yo ipu aje
dobu k'ipu kwum
Ega na mum a
Abo na ge m'iyo ne yoi bi a du a.
Translated into Idoma language by Dr Lemuel Ekedegwa Odeh
By Poornima Laxmeshwar
I understood how good you were
When you divided our short meeting
Into perfect QUARTERS
You were so aware of every hour that we spent –
Smoke, drinks, love-making and poetry - a quarter for each.
Like you could divide the day into perfection
And slot them out like waves ready to soar exactly after the other
You know when I fell in love with you –
Not in that instance when your crude hands
Held the joint for me
Or not when you scrambled the eggs with such focus that it seemed as tough as art –
But in that moment when you picked your favourite book of Kolatkar and recited Pi-dog,
I knew it had to be you
You breathed proportions.
Breaking up came easily to you
And you divided me precariously
Maybe you were getting too high, of late
Your hands were shivering
You didn't realise it then but you cut a piece of yourself and gave away a chunk of your heart
That I carry in the darkness of my womb
Where you find me
Is where you will find your missing self
OMIA Kpakpa
Poornima Laxmeshwar taa
Nje igbegenp alphilea
Eko naje Obataha ka 190 kpii
Ko ega ENE yili a
Aje Ejeji awa n'alg ge ba
Ge gw'utaba, eje, y'ih9tu mla ypi k'ichi
Olebeka ale echi ko dill a
� *■ ~
Ogbia Openyl ne ge beche Ogbogba ga ye a
Aje eko num je ihotu kwuo an
Owe eko n'abo ogwuda kwu o bi akwutd gam
Mani eko na yoi wia aigwu mla ogbeyi gpgn
Amani eko na yoi je pkpa kolatkar yq\ je pi-dog
Nje ka awo ne
Owu ofu kwuo we alewa
Oko ike le ono tuon
\ * J I
Ake lum ko bobi
f S
Ikohi igbihi ajea a-gbo je nwune
Abo kwuo gboo fie egbulu
Aje eko Oman, aman ale iyo k'epa ke
Kwu einehi k'otu kwuo gam ne yo ipu aje
dobu k'ipu kwum
Ega na mum a
Abo na ge m'iyo ne yoi bi a du a.
Translated into Idoma language by Dr Lemuel Ekedegwa Odeh
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