Lazarus

you have cheated death so much
the first time, 
you weren’t even alive.

 the angels are less fortunate than you are
 sometimes, i wonder how that makes them feel
 but you can't tell someone how to deal with their misfortune

 you took too long to form 
 that is what happens when God calls you Lazarus

 the first time I gave you atropine
 your body took it like 
 it was tired of playing dead

 this time, I sit to watch 
 you open your eyes again.
 I do not pray for a joke.

Ogunkoya Samuel is a Nigerian poet who lives and writes from Ibadan where he practices physiotherapy. His poems have been published in Kalahari Review, Five2One Mag, Ellis Review, Entropy Magazine’s Enclave, UCity Review and elsewhere.