Mohamed A. Eno is a Kenyan poet whose work was published in Warscapes Magazine. His new poetry collection Corpses on the Menu: Blood, Bullets and Bones (Outskirts Press) is expected before the end of this year. His second collection Guilt of Otherness: A Brief Personal Memoir in Poetry is on schedule for publication next year.
With a PhD in Social Studies Education (St Clements University) and MA TESOL (University of Sunderland), he is Associate Professor of African Studies and Dean of St Clements University Somalia, as well as Senior Lecturer in the English Department of ADNOC Technical Institute. He is the author of The Bantu Jareer Somalis: Unearthing Apartheid in the Horn of Africa (Adonis & Abbey, 2008) and has contributed several authored and co-authored chapters in academic books and journals. Dr. Eno is on the Editorial Board of Journal of African Union Studies.
Bizerte’s romantic breeze blowing gently across
The majestic beaches of the Mediterranean city
Misses to bloom a mood imprisoned
in eons of nostalgia
The aroma of the shisha and the Arabian coffee
Comingle in the reminiscence of a rich culture
Resuscitating the memory of a son estranged
From it by the adamancy of young age
And the long ruptures of life he endured
Over desirous decades of indulgence overseas
Though lovable the luxuriant lyrics rhymed
In the recount of his loneliness sonnets
The luster of their value seems lost
Ever since the dawn of his drift
To the Diasporic distance
The Couscous That Wasn’t!
Upon daybreak the door lay ajar
Behind a linty curtain of lilies
Rays of iridescent sunlight
Whisper secretly through
The tiny gaps in the window
My cautious eyes explore to the right
Turning a look of despair to the left
As queries evolve inside me:
Allusion of unsoundly premonition?
Or an amalgam of my untamed pessimism?
Couscous! Couscous! A caller called
Lifting to life the hope of encountering
The angel in my company all the night;
Like an insane unaware of the environment
I found myself flung into a majestic hall
Screaming: Couscous! Couscous! in search of her.
Dozens of distinguished dignitaries in decent attire
Drive home a diplomatic smile, as a chef down
The corner displays the décor of his delicious cuisine:
Madammes et Monsieurs, Voila le Couscous Tunisien!
Bon appétit!
For other contributions by Mohamed A. Eno, please follow the links below:
Poetry in this post: © Mohamed A. Eno
Published with the permission of Mohamed A. Eno