Four & a half years older. A dedicated bank worker. A singer, a dancer. An expert bargain hunter. An animal lover. Faithful in her beliefs, faithful to people. Amused by absurdities. And really annoying when we were young. My sister used to introduce me to friends as, ‘This is my baby sister Sonia. She’s a writer.’
Susan Hope Faminu died on 21 May 2023.
* paraphrasing Fatimah Ashgar, When we were Sisters, Guardian Review, 17 June 2023
You spot a dead pigeon on the pavement outside Lagos Island restaurant and pick it up, cupping your hands in the shape of a heart to hold its body. You unbutton your coat just enough to put the bird inside and carry it home.
You find an old shoebox, line it with newspaper and soft tissue and lay the pigeon inside, being careful not to disturb its still-folded wings. You wrap the box with purple crepe paper and tie a black ribbon around it to keep the lid in place.
The hole you dig in your garden is deep enough to fox the foxes – unearthing already-planted bulbs and resting perennials. You bury the box with the pigeon inside.
And when you have finished you sit indoors thinking about all the pigeons you’ve ever seen
streaked-white-concrete-grey feathers painted the colour of urban winter
mauve-green caught by the sun in spring shimmering
city birds.
East London doves.
For feral pigeons everywhere.
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