Mbana

A trek half way across the world and it feels like it,

Honolulu, L.A., Boston, Amsterdam,

Lagos, Port-Harcourt - Nigeria.

Mummy and Daddy pick us up at the airport,

Big smiles, everything is in control.

‘Ah’, Tariye and I breathe a sigh of relaxation, comfort and gratitude;

‘We are home’.

Greenery, mild climate, moisture, atmosphere.

A space tucked away amidst the meanders of rivers,

The lushness of flood plains.

Beneath our feet, the viscose wealth of the nation,

Brings foreigners here.

We are local.

Visitors with us, no matter the fairness of their skin are local.

Respect is paramount for those who venture here to fall in love.

My pride, said simply by a friend; in this place BLACK is so beautiful.

I watched the sun in the places I traveled,

How differently it shines.

Like a crystal is snowy Boston, an intense beam in Honolulu, a subtle orange ball above the club-house pool in Port-Harcourt.

Humankind begat life beneath this sun,

We are the same.

Mates at home have similar dreams, hold similar conversations, enjoy similar pleasures.

Why do I feel so happy to realize this again?

I do not become different by being away.

For now, I find home in a foreign land.

Here, you are my family.

Thank you, Aloha, Mbana,

For loving a Nigerian.