Bathe With Hairy Water is life being explored and experienced. The persona adopts the omniscient posture revealing episodes that give voice to accounting for his pruning. From the age of innocence, through vicissitudes, and into a full understanding of ‘becoming’, Bathe with Hairy Water revolves around an identity whose very presence is an unobtrusive reminder of our humanity. He is real but in many cases prefers to be pronominalised: he is inspired by and gratified with the realities of named ‘prevenient and living co-pilgrims’ with who he has begun and will fulfill an ordained odyssey.

Baba Aladura’s work included the simple ones of polishing the brass and silver wares like the cross and communion items. Some sacramental items he also had to clean up occasionally. He did not cut the lawn or weed the grass any longer. That was a job for the younger sexton. He tolled the church bell solemnly to announce any funeral. Sometime I took that chore from him simply out of excitement, while he had to arrange the church for the service.

He lived simply.

He died rich, one early afternoon.

Puny, hilarious, and possibly ridiculous in parts, Bathe with Hairy Water is a simple genre told in a sublime way about essences manifested or manifesting and with a theme that life is not inadvertent: it is one for which purpose exists beyond human or material comprehension.

We had to get water from the nearby house each morning because they would not allow us fetch from their well. Mark that, it was a well o! So we got water from another landlord’s well next compound. Each bucket was full of hair. Can you imagine? Strands of hair! How did a well become hair-infested? Search me. They say a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. Better to bathe with hairy water than with none at all.

Aanuoluwapo Adeodu