I wake up, it’s just another day,
Another day to sit by the window as I do,
And watch the world go by without me.
My neighbor across the street,
That man, that taxi driver,
He’ll be out brawling again, I know it.
At eight o’clock he’ll come through the smallish door
Cussing, fuming, huffing, puffing,
Say, a wolf he is. A wolf of a man.
His wife, a little woman. A kitty in a cage.
I watch him zoom off, a rage lingering.
I’m only a watcher, I say nothing.
Another day is dawning,
So slowly unfolding,
At my window I sit as I do.
I hear that man saying it out loud,
“You thief! You die! Thieves die!”
I hear the kitty screaming,
Scratching at a bolted door,
Whimpering, a puppy she is
In a cage as before, remember?
Then I hear it all. A thud, a snap.
That’s all. At eight o’clock he comes right out
Sweating like a lion, and he is.
He sits behind the wheel and makes a call
In a voice I cannot hear from my window.
He goes away and does not return at even.
Another day, I sip tea stirred with a spoon of honey,
The one my granddaughter makes me,
The police come in on the street.
They block the road, and search the flats.
They find the kitty, without her cage,
She’s soaked in blood that stinks
Maybe like a menstrual patch.
They ask the young men,
They ask the young women.
They ask me.
I put away my tea cup and say,
“He was a wolf and she a kitty.
Don’t let that predator get away with another prey.”
Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik
Peace Nkeiruka Maduako is a Nigerian writer who is often inspired by paintings and art that tell stories in themselves. She has been published on Calla Press, Kalahari Review, SweetycatPress anthologies, Brigitte Poirson Chapbook, SpillWords Press, Screen Crust Magazine, ClayJar Review and more. She resides in Owerri, Imo state and has a page “PeaceGirl works” where her works are displayed.
