In Sunflowers and Sunburns, Joshua Effiong shares what we would like to refer to as the recipe of hope. With his rich language and vivid imageries, he draws a map with which a person in a grim situation can navigate tempestuous waters to the shore of tranquility to “await the resurrection of the sun”. We enjoyed every line of this poem and we know you would too!
– Editorial Team
Of nights and moons with blue lights.
Of the things that have mould this skin:
thick, strong and black,
like the colour of palm kernel.
Of needles finding shelter in the fabric of hope.
Of hands seeking answers in the hole of these hearts;
a home to many black holes.
Of downloaded smiles from many untraceable sites.
Of the flickering eyelids, dangling
with questions.
Of mother’s sonority slowly traveling with the wind,
fading into groans and whispers.
Of the sedimentation of wishes.
Of the many cheers we give to the past we try not to refix.
Of suffering and smiling.
Of harvested girls too unripe for feasting.
Of overnight men still memorizing the psalms of boys.
Of Sunflowers and Sunburns.
Of bodies trying to find rooms to staple tunes of laughters.
Of laughters laughed with a sour tooth;
lips that still sing stories to children under the shade of trees.
Here memories fold itself into the shelves of hearts.
Of all of us who write poems without even knowing it.
Of all of what is broken, that has made me.
You will realize that I am a flowerpot
with seeds, awaiting
the resurrection of the sun.
About the Author
Joshua Effiong is a Nigerian writer and a lover of literature. When he is not writing, he is reading, watching movies and listening to music. An undergraduate of Science Laboratory Technology. He lives in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. And here he writes from. You can find him on Instagram @josh.effiong

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We loved reading your poems and it's such a delight to share them with the world.
Keep writing 🤗
Two of my favorite poems "Out" and "Rooftops" have been published by @eboquills.
Thank you for the publication.
Do check them out!
https://eboquills.com/2021/01/12/two-poems-by-zimbabwean-born-poet-tyrone-takawira/
Celebrated #writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie announced and launched the #StartReadingByReading Challenge on her Instagram Page, here's how to enter.
Write a 100-word response to her short story, OLIKOYE, and win 50k! Details below:
https://eboquills.com/2021/01/16/join-cnas-startreadingbyreading-challenge-to-win-n50000/
Best wishes!
The best there is!
Thank you my dear friend. God bless you.
Reading this, I must say, I absolutely savored it. Apart from the rich diction, brilliant devices, I particularly enjoyed the flow. It made it easy to take it one stanza at a time and one of the worthwhile essence of poetry. As one of my mentors will say, coming out of a poem differently than you entered. That I absolutely felt in your piece. There’s this hope and strength that filled me once I finished reading. One thing is sure, I’m definitely reading it again.
Thank you and God bless you. Again and again.
This is a very beautiful piece. I love the lavish yet controlled use of imagery.
Thank you so much. I appreciate.
Your choice of words caused a seamless flow from a line to another. Your imageries were all vivid. It’s a wonderful work of art, man. Good one.
Thank you so very much.