THE COTTON FIELD PART 2

IFY ARINZE

We have laboured apart in separates fields until chances saw us here together.
I remember how u eased in quietly, I was tilling away refusing or pretending not to notice you, thought I could work better that way there was no rules but labourers should work better and forget physical attractions. Thus I ploughed my way as u faced your own portion, ignoring each other.

But we could not help it! The pain of forced labour, the familiarity of two in a cotton field, the need to ease the harsh and hard days of toiling, we could at least talk in between work.
The glances I stole when u were too busy to notice, my helpless admiration of the cotton master in you.
The time we shared whenever we need a little rest.

We therefore made a little world of our own separate from the rest of the labourers in the cotton field, two can play like that. It’s evening now, the rest of the labourers of the cotton field have almost gone home for the day. Here I sit watching you gather your tools to walk the path home with me as we have always done. The thought is pricking my mind, the fear of tomorrow when I will have to miss you in this field. Soon time will take you away just the way it brought you my way, you and I don’t even know how far and how long it will. It might be forever damn! The days are sure to come when I will be left alone with mere memories and pains of your absence, I wonder how it will be.

Working here without a soothing relief of your voice, your warmth, your inspirations and all. So why not go home alone today without me. Leave here alone, let me remain till it’s done that I may watch the moon and kill this fear inside me. Let me ask the stars why, why things are like this, why there should be sad goodbyes, why time and chance can often be so cruel, just walk home and let me remain in this field all through the cold night. Let me paint the picture for the heavens to see, how miserable a lonely heart can be.

But if you insist, drop your machete come sit with me lets share those dreams of tomorrow and when the night finally falls we can do so much, we can roll on the soil of the cotton field that will tilled together. We can defeat the cold harmattan with the fire and flames of our emotions. Tomorrow we will make our jealous co-labourers more jealous when they will come so early to meet us under the tree dosing in eachother’s arms.

Handsome one, until your gone, lets make the best of the little time left. Work like we have never worked before it will leave millions of memories when harvest will come. With you far away from the cotton field no doubt you will keep the thought of us ever in your mind. As long as you are still here it will cotton field forever and when you are eventually gone always remember the joy, pain, love, tears, sorrow and happiness that comes with the cotton field.

THE COTTON FIELD PART 1

IFY ARINZE

I sat and watched wondering how to make it through the lonely patch to the field.
The year of toiling alone the thought of whistling away a sad song of a dejected girl as I toil alone in the field with the unmerciful and inconsiderate heart of the noon sun seemingly jeering at my poor pitiful and lonely life.

And he appeared like a heavens sent, only the smile that was all I needed to make it through the day but no! I was to get more and much more than that, he was ready he was interested he volunteered to go the distance with me. I didn’t ask but he promised to be by my side. He would plough and toil the cotton field with me, he would be there to harvest the seed when they ripe and ……
So we set out to the cotton field together.

The birds were singing our union in their early morning songs, the grasses on the path waved in admiration and the way seemed shorter by every distance we covered my prince in front, with his matchet and hoe, his calculated steps, yet giving the best of rhythm to my passion laden eyes as he walked majestically with his king size built mind blowing!

We worked, we rested and we kept working, sometimes I sang as he admired, other times u laughed as I tickled ur sides the aim was to ease off the pain of work. Many times I caught you stealing glance at my waist as they wiggle when I walk, or was it my smile that is as bright as the morning sun, open your inner feelings for me for once.

And the noon came with prevalent scorching sun and heat and my whistling grew louder as I gave out the joy of my heart, was it to make the jealous sunlight more jealous? Should we stop working for a while and go under the shades and play?

The decision was just to come when they stormed the cotton field I was captured but I didn’t struggle. I was guilty and so I had to pay. I have always known that such time would come. but why then? When I was yet to make a bound with my prince charming, when we were still working on the cotton field what a wrong time it was?

I wanted to cry but I did not because I wanted u to know that I will be strong, I watched as tears dropped from your big brown eyes and flowed into my heart causing a big storm that is yet to quench. S they carried me very far away from u to a place you could not come.

How I missed you day and nigh!
It is been season now and here I am, alone and thinking how is the cotton field? And my prince do u still work on the cotton field alone? And the harvest, have u ever dreamt of us working together in the cotton field? Have u grown tired of waiting?
No! my prince wont do such I know he will wait patiently for my return that we may go back to our cotton field.

VISIONS OF EMOTIONS

IFY ARINZE

She stood there gazing, staring intently into space looking so focused at nothing in particular though for some little moments maybe split of seconds and minutes but it all seemed like ages.

We were watching out from a close distance. Next it exploded either inside here heart or here head, maybe both. It was like thunder. The strike showed in her face, as if storm would follow, her eyeballs clouded, then the first drop, followed by another and another, first in drips, then it rained. It flowed, tracing two lines on her fat cheeks, one dripping down her chest and the other joining the side of her lips. She raised her fingers in between her lips as if to bite them, shaking in the deepest of anguish as she let the hurt flow endlessly in form of hot tears.

We were still watching when like the light to darkness he appeared.

“Who could it be? Maybe the one that caused her the pain,” someone opined.

But wait….he moved slowly, approaching her from behind, he placed an arm on her shoulder and turned her round to face him. Before we could say a word he lowered his head to her cried out face and kissed her gently. Yes he did, kept kissing her definitely licking some of the tears that cascaded down the sides of her lips and we kept watching as the they broke off the lipsy thing. He circled her in his massive arms, the way she relaxed in there showed she was getting comfort. When they eventually disentangled, he held her face in his hands, they both looked into each other’s emotions laughing passionately. He bent to her ears and whispered briefly, we couldnt hear what it was for it was only a whisper. But whatever it was he said to her must be sweet and soothing for it brightened her face. She kept a big smile as he walked away just the same way he came in.

As she bent to pick up her scarf one of us coughed loudly, it made her turn to notice us for the first time. Disappointment and surprise showed so vivid on her face. But whatever she was feeling she could not have stopped us from watching.