"The book died" by Taiye Kolawole

"The book died

long time ago."

Doctor told us.

Laughter sprang from throats

Of those seated with brains before books,

but doctor said again,

"The book died

long time ago

and I participated in its burial.”

More laughter

echoed from back to front

of the classroom.

But it is true,

many lazy brains killed the book

just like less salt kills food.

He repeated

with a threat of evidence –

a graphological decline in studies,

at sixteen years of teaching.

"The book died

long time ago.”

Doctor told us,

so we continued resuscitating

as we put our pens on opened books.

Taiye Kolawole is a poet and 400-level student of Department of English and Literary Studies, Faculty of Arts and humanities Kogi State University, Anyigba, Kogi State.