Eating tomorrow's yam by Niyi Osundare.

There is only one yam left
in the village barn
the prodigal calls for a knife.
What shall we eat tomorrow,
the people ask,
If we finish all the yam today?
This is a picture of people who truly care for each other. The prodigal did not come with a knife, he called for one; it tells us of a lover that wants to hear from his better half before taking actions. He probably knows where the knife is and could have just gone ahead to just cut the yam and then talk about it later. But he wants to stylishly tell his lover of his intention. He possibly wouldn't be the one to prepare the yam. So why no just inform the other so she knows?
Lesson 1: we should be patient to seek our partner's opinions before taking an action that would affect both of us.
Rather than providing a knife, the question of what shall we eat tomorrow suddenly springs up. It is that of a woman/man who wants to live the next day with her/his lover. She is not quick to just say 'do not cut that yam' but gently asks a thought-provoking question. Her question is the type that is patient for an answer, it's not an abusive mockery asking 'do you know anything at all'?
Lesson 2: be with a man/woman who is able to think. Be wary of the words with which you express your feelings. No matter how much smarter you think your opinion is, be patient with your partner. Give him space to understand your opinion.
Just how shall we feel
when the dunghill has relieved
stomachs of their improvident burden?
And says the prodigal:
tomorrow will take care of itself;
how can we know the next day
If we die of hunger today?
We now see one whom we can say, lives for the moment. An impatient man/woman who awakens love before it's time, who is ready to satisfy an immediate lustful hunger. He does not want to think of how his feelings will elude him the moment the deed has been done. He seductively persuades, trying not to implicate himself with his own words. 'Let tomorrow think of itself abeg, I can't kill my self'.
Lesson 3: Sometimes, you both will not agree, patience is the key.
Then the people reply:
how can we see tomorrow
if we eat its yam today?
They then cut the yam into seedlings
and plant tomorrow's harvest:
it is meet to live on herbs and grains today
if that ensures tomorrow's yam.
A very visionary voice that truly believes that tomorrow will be better than today, you only need to live to see it. He cannot afford to eat today at the expense of tomorrow. He doesn't wait for any more response at this time but goes ahead to properly store the yam for tomorrow. We now see another beautiful thing, he does not just think of tomorrow as one day, tomorrow is a thousand years to him. He doesn't just keep the whole yam for tomorrow he cut them into seedlings and planted them. He is also willing to bear the pain of unsatisfactoriness (living on 'bitter' herbs) today if it ensures having food for tomorrow.
Lesson 4: Sometimes you have to make a tough decision for you both. But it must be after you have tried to explain yourself, waited patiently for your partner to think about it and you're sure its a good choice. Finally, good things do not come easy, be willing to sacrifice.
Love faces a lot of challenges, the greatest of which is patience. We are always eager to awaken and consummate love even when we neither are ready nor fully know if our object of attraction is truly what we want. We act upon the intense feelings we have and realise afterwards that we are not with the right person. This has often left our supposed loved one, feeling deceived and used.
In this month of love, learn to think not only of ourselves but also of others in whatever decision we want make. Learn to seek their opinion. Realise that you do not know it all even when you think you're right. Be patient enough to think of the repercussions of your actions. Love is patient.