Whispers of Harmattan

Aisha Tahir

The radio hums old melodies still, of northern women, spun in gold, of northern men shaping love in their hands, their words heavy with promise. I must be the prayer answered, because I am everything this land raised me to be. Seasons bear their fruit, and with each fruit, the seed of something more. I am the seed. It is harmattan. My home cradles loved men, steadfast women, and prayers carved into the air. The one thing they love more than God Himself is being right— even when it’s wrong. The morning adhaan cuts through the haze, its call threading through the fog that wraps this city like a second skin. Still, they gather—their shoulders draped in soft cloth, feet bare against the cold ground, breath visible as they move forward, their prayers, rising with the mist. Tea kettles hum over coal fires, their steam curling upward, a quiet offering to the waking sky. The air, thick with dust and devotion, holds its stories in the cold; each step toward the mosque etches faith against the blur of dawn. This is home— a land of sunrises and traditions, where harmattan humbles and heals, where every voice rises like poetry, strong against the winds of time. The people stand like millet in the harmattan wind, bending but unbroken.

About Aisha Tahir

is a Nigerian writer, poet, and legal professional. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Nile University of Nigeria and was called to the Nigerian Bar in March 2024. In addition to her legal career, Aisha is passionate about writing. She is a published poet and the author of a poetry collection, blending storytelling and emotional depth. Aisha’s writing is reflective of her unique perspective on life and identity, capturing the everyday nuances of human experience in her work.