Pompholyx - Seyi Adigun

If I were not your sister
I would curse you.
If I were not your brethren’s friend
I would cast upon you
a spell.
The day I was ill
you stayed away.
When pompholyx bid
for my laboured breaths
you left me to lie
in strangers’ arms.
But you are my brother,
my blood brother and
you have a weak heart.
From the day you were an infant
I have known you.
Come now,
come see the marks of pain
on my skin;
come feel the rough striae
and the rouge rugae on my face.

---

Seyi Adigun (20th century) Nigeria
From: Letter to Sister and A Reply for My Brother Pompholyx is a type of eczema which affects the hands and feet, causing tiny blisters and irritation.