Beadwork

i

from the hills of udi

to the creeks of nembe;

beads knew and named her footfalls.

running a test, four cracked

under the sole of her solleret

and she saw more symbols.

ii

that noon when heat rose

with a crescendo

i watched her wimple wane in folds

soliloquies stole her silence.

she dropped black beads

and counted:

one

two

three

four.

‘return’, four of you

‘return’, she  muttered

and like a poem, set the beads in fits.

iii

four black homeward birds

dropped from the sky and rain

fell amidst sunshine.

© Echezonachukwu Nduka 2014

(Image source: www.lushlampwork.com)