Reply to Ada Limón’s ‘Lover’

where do we go from here?

there was a time
that silence of
the lips and eyes
sent shivers down
and made me to
question which step
of emotions I
placed the wrong foot
on and why.

-these days-
I’ve realized religion
isn’t the only form of
oppression as the heart
of a lover – a woman –
is also that of a dictator.

how do you explain
a mood swing where
you expect me to be
present and away, or,
how do you explain an
an apology that you
want to be tendered
but you don’t want to
forgive and ignore?

Tomide Abdul