Where the Morning Ends

That morning, I travelled from Ibadan to Sekona, Ede, for my friend’s newborn’s naming ceremony. On the way, I called to ask where he was, and they told me he was at the cow market, still searching for one to buy. He had just returned from Cotonou himself, tired but determined to make everything right for the day. When we finally met, we laughed, tired, honest laughter about how expensive everything has become in this country, yet how we still hold on to the small joys that keep us connected: a child’s birth, a shared meal, the sound of prayers, the rhythm of old traditions refusing to fade. This image carries all of that, the weight and the warmth, the effort and the pause. His turned back, the attentive cow, the rough fencing. It speaks of the tenderness and burden of rural life, of people who keep going even when everything feels heavier than it used to. It’s a quiet moment that could be any morning, and every morning.

Uploaded on 20 October 2025.