DIALOGUE: "WORDS WE NEVER SAID" BY ABDULMALIK AND IREEN

“You say I’m old, outdated, worn,  

like trusses that can’t hold.  

But I never thought our love would fall—  

a house of cards, crushed.  

You give excuses, say I’m not the same.  

But I loved you to the moon and back.  

What’s the shame?  

You never belonged to me.  

I thought our love was something new.  

You raise your tone, tear us apart,  

leave me with love letters in my heart.  

What happened to us, Punsmith?  

To our love so strong?  

Did it fade away,  

like a song?” 

“You speak of collapse, Ree,

as if it was inevitable.  

We built this together.  

When the foundation cracked,  

you looked away,  

waiting for me to patch it alone.  

You call this love,  

but love isn’t a ledger.  

It doesn’t measure distance  

or silence.  

I gave too,  

though not in ways you noticed.  

Does that make it less real?  

You want answers,  

but so do I.  

What do you call a bond  

where one carries the weight  

and the other holds the sky?  

Don’t ask where it went wrong—  

we stopped listening  

long before it fell.”

“I’m sorry for the wrongs,  

for turning a deaf ear to it all.  

But now, I’m ready,  

ready like never before.  

Take me back, Punsmith.  

Teach me not to chase the stars,  

but to tend the garden, side by side.  

Let’s revive our love song  

and waltz again,  

our hearts full of pride.”

“I’ve carried the weight of us for so long,  

but Ree, your words—  

they stir something in me.  

If you’ll tend the garden,  

I’ll plant the seeds.  

Let’s rebuild—not as we were,  

but as we could be.  

Rooted.  

Steady.  

True.”

© ABDULMALIK YAHYA 

(The Punsmith)

- Nigeria

and

IREEN CUSTOM (Ree)

- Malawi

13-01-2025