Poems
One Poem By Ojo Victoria Ilemobayo
Ojo Victoria Ilemobayo is a Nigerian Literary Enthusiast. Cell Behaviorism After reading Oladosu Michael Emerald Some cells are made of stone; They don’t shriek. Mine is just like a snail A little light touch, I crack, and I curve Contributor’s Bio Ojo Victoria Ilemobayo is…
One Poem By Riak Marial Riak
Riak Marial Riak is a South Sudanese poet and writer. His work has been featured in Brittle Paper, Eunoia Review, African Writer Magazine, Nthanda Review, and elsewhere. The origin of water and the gleaming pools bubble bright when its shores woke frozen by night wind …
One Poem By Obongofon Etuk
Obongofon Etuk is a passionate poet and a student of pharmacy at the University of Uyo. Writing poems has been his creative outlet, and he draws inspiration from the works of renowned poets like Shakespeare. IN WHAT MEASURE DOTH DESCENT BEFALL… In what measure doth…
One Poem By Olajide Olawale
Olajide Olawale is a communication and language arts student at the prestigious University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Echoes of the Soul As twilight’s tender touch envelopes all Where shadows dance with whispers of grace, I wander through realms of poetic thought, Where words unfurl, untamed and…
One Poem By Emmanuel Ferdinand
Emmanuel Ferdinand is a young Nigerian poet and writer. He is currently studying the English language at Lagos State University. The Dark Mass Once upon a cold morning in May. her bed rattled & with a hushed Tone like a heartbeat. she softened my uneasiness…
Two Poems By Dayọ̀ Ayílárá
Dayọ̀ Ayílárá is a lawyer, business consultant, cartoonist, graphics designer and calligrapher. He writes from Abuja, Nigeria. His poetry focuses on nature, the beauty in pain, hope, love, and loss. The Butterfly Life Circle (For Justina Babade) I remember the day (on this road called…
Two Poems By Olaseni Kehinde Precious
Olaseni Kehinde Precious embodies the multifaceted roles of a poet, content writer, blockchain researcher, and SEO specialist. Mother’s Radiance A majestic oak blooming towards the heavens Like a sapling breaking through the fertile soil An Unwavering lioness cradled me A luminescence in life’s labyrinth Through…
Two Poems By John Phebe Ifeoluwa
John Phebe Ifeoluwa hails from the western part of Nigeria. She is a poet and a neurodivergent writer. Phebe writes from Port Harcourt City. From Lagos, With Love The mosquitoes in Mushin, Vampires at midnight— Telling a love story; Between your body And their proboscis…
One Poem By Sarah Adeyemo
Sarah Adeyemo is a budding poet, student, avid reader, literary enthusiast, and guitarist. She writes from Ekiti, Nigeria. Fragments of a Broken Voice I rise with balls of sweat, Flowing down in torrents Through my cheekbones, Down to my palpitating chest. Who can read words…
One Poem By Mubarak Said
Mubarak Said is the 3rd runner-up (poetry category) of the 2022 Bill Ward Prize for Emerging Writers. His works are forthcoming and published in World Voices Magazine, Brittle Paper, Icefloe Press, and elsewhere. Last Word About The Polls Anything I start to love hates me….
Two Poems By Pakistani Poet, Iraj Shariq
Iraj Shariq hails from Pakistan. She has been making remarkable strides in both the fields of dentistry and poetry. The Mourning Dove Two doves sat on the maple tree They cherished enchanting love songs Their hearts entrapped in each other, yet feel so free And…
One Poem By Opeyemi Oluwayomi
Opeyemi Oluwayomi is a Nigerian writer. His works have appeared or are forthcoming in Heart of Flesh Literary Journal, Art Lounge Journal (Issue II), Brittle Paper, and others. a home built on the altar they open their hearts so wide to offer what is therein….
Two Poems By Nkemdilim Lilian
Nkemdilim Lilian is a poet, calligrapher, and novelist who hails from Anambra state. She is a final-year Law student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She is passionate about writing. Brother Here, where I know not a soul, Not even mine. There, where they dashed…
One Poem By Tajudeen Muadh Akanbi
Tajudeen Muadh Akanbi is a poet from Osun State, Nigeria. His works have appeared or are forthcoming in African Literary Magazine, Wax Poetry Magazine, icreatives Review, and elsewhere. For Father, A Threnody father, the day you closed your eyes and refused to open it, i…
Eboquills Annual Anthology Launch
We’re so excited to announce that Eboquills has launched an annual anthology. The submissions window opens today, 30th June 2023, and closes on 31st July 2023. For 2023, our anthology will be a curation of fine poetry- all forms of poetry. Theme: Our Girls: Their…
One Poem By Abubakar Shittu
Abubakar Shittu is a 22-year-old from Ilorin, Kwara State. Our Mothers Will Smile On a day the tree leaves will stand erect, Facing up in their colorful green and yellow, just like the smile forming on each mother’s face, their joy knowing no bounds. Countless…
One Poem By Olamilekan Yusuf
Olamilekan Yusuf is an emerging poet, who is also an undergraduate at the University of Ilorin, where he pursues a degree in biochemistry. Colors of Hope Today, I learned that light is light Even when it is short-lived, this lesson Began with syllables that cut…
One Poem By Abdulbasit Oluwanishola
Abdulbasit Oluwanishola is a young Nigerian poet who writes from Ilorin, Kwara State. He’s studying Agriculture at Usmanu Dafodiyo University Sokoto. Portrait of a Broken Home Carry the night & you are lost. —AbdulRazaq Salihu The day your sister carried the shadow & darkness ripened…
One Poem By Raymond Favour
Raymond Favour is an 18-year-old from Ito, Ika Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Fighting Demons This smiling face camouflages a desert of grief- a heart bleeding from cuts engineered by scalpels clinging to the hand of people I tag loved ones. You see,…
One Poem By Chinemerem Prince Nwankwo
Chinemerem Prince Nwankwo is currently an undergraduate of History and International Studies, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria. He loves to read and write about Africa, women, and children. Imprints of Scars and Broken Pieces as Sore Memories I painted the future eased of memories and…
One Poem By Joemario Umana
Joemario Umana is a creative writer and poet, whose poem “an iroko tree with fiery beards” is forthcoming in the anthology publication of NSPP 2022. Tears is not a Metaphor for Weakness The sleepy lantern trying to stay awake and the crickets with the frogs…
Two Poems By Abiodun Salako
Abiodun Salako (he/him) is a Nigerian Journalist, Copywriter, and Resident- at-Sea. In his spare time, he daydreams of Eden. Weekdays At The Home of Our Bones It’s just me and you, drinking milk like adolescence, frothing at the mouth with snacks, and using our faces…
One Poem By Faiza Yahaya Maibasira
Faiza Yahaya Maibasira is a spoken word artist, a writer and a poetess .Her works have been published in online publications including poetry stage and the Yasmin Elrufai Foundation. Oluwa No sermon would make the wind hotter than the sun. I grew up watching the…
Two Poems by Ahmed Aisha
Ahmed Aisha is is a Nigerian poet, a computer science student at Oscotech, and an Auditor of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Osun State chapter. Program To Calculate My Grief Using C+ Language Question: Calculate your grief using C+ language. /*a program to calculate my…
One Poem by Okoro Emmanuel Chukwuebuka
Okoro Emmanuel Chukwuebuka is a creative writer and a passionate volunteer. He won the 2019 edition of Korea-Nigeria Poetry Prize (Junior Category). Replicating Dead Figures I’ve watched father light up a match stick__ and paint his world with darkness. His dead lips, rumpled shirt, teary…
Two Poems By Alobu Emmanuel
Alobu Emmanuel alias Noble Alobu, believes nature holds a great deal of magic. His pieces & poems are featured/forthcoming in “agape review”, “nantygreens”, “celestite poetry”, and elsewhere. SongFlower. —for Victoria. When you sing, the Nightingale listens in a bid to steal your tunes. Songbirds flutter…
One Poem By Eliongema Udofia
Eliongema Udofia is a 17-year-old poet from Ika in Awka Ibom State, Nigeria. When he is not writing, he is drawing and listening to music or solving mathematical problems. Requiem To Drowning Voices This morning, my room is a coffin holding souvenirs The novel I…
ÀLÀKÉ By Dayò Ayílárá
Dayò Ayílárá is a lawyer, business consultant, cartoonist, content writer, graphics designer and calligrapher. ÀLÀKÉ À-l-à-k-é, when I first gulped the litres of your beauty through the funnel of my eyes i knew I was under fire, your petrol tanker has set my wool heart…
One Poem By Arikewusola Abdul Awal
Arikewusola Abdul Awal hails from Shaki, Oyo state. His poems have appeared on ilamagazine.net, williwashpress.com. Teen Lit journals, and elsewhere. Paper Bird (To Father) Tell me, Is this the beginning of another end? Every morning I see your bloodshot eyes aiming at the lekeleke birds…
One Poem by Liberian Poet, Azaiouris Y Zeon
Azaiouris Y Zeon is a young Liberian poet. His work has been published/forthcoming in Eboquills, ArtLounge, Ngiga Review, SpillWords & elsewhere. half moon for abunic you’re in my eyes again the way the sky pours rain upon the roof of my house. i read your…
Two Poems By Blessing Omezia Ojo
Blessing Omeiza Ojo is a Nigerian poet, author, and creative writing teacher living in Abuja, Nigeria. He is a proud member of Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation. Ode to the Hungry Earth At another gravestone of a boy who misted into memory, I stopped to count…
Two Poems By Aloysius S Harmon
Aloysius S Harmon is an emerging poet who writes from Liberia. Their work of poetry have been included in Synchronized Chaos’s issue, Spillwords, Eve Poetry Magazine, and elsewhere. The Day Her Body Went Mute death swallowed my grandmother when i was twelve. some memories hunt…
Two Poems by Dayò Ayílárá
Dayò Ayílárá is a lawyer, business consultant, cartoonist, graphics designer, and calligrapher. He writes from Abuja, Nigeria. His poetry focuses on nature, the beauty in pain, hope, love, and loss. Old Garment I have to be full of play put my old garment away let…
One Poem By Ayiyi Joel
Ayiyi Joel is a 19-year-old poet from Edo state in Nigeria. He has works published/forthcoming on Synchronized chaos, cathartic lit, The Beatnik cowboy, poemify, Nnoko stories, and elsewhere. Boys are tender too Again Another star Fell from the sky. At the college hostel. A body…
Two Poems By FOC Ikwuemesibe
FOC Ikwuemesibe is a retired schoolmaster, an engaging lover of the art of teaching who still pens at least a poem a day. This Night this night under the moon as we sit by our firelight and munch away on skewers and the breeze caressing…
One Poem By Fatima Abdullahi
Fatima Abdullahi is a Nigerian-born writer and poet, though she once hated the genre. She’d thought it was pretentious and was trying too hard. Then she joined Robert Frost on his road not taken, and her whole world changed. Black Boy It is in me…
Two Poems By Croatian Poet, Jasna Gugić
Jasna Gugić was born in Vinkovci, Croatia. She writes, paints, and publishes poems in a joint collection of poems and anthology. She is a winner of many international awards for poetry and literature, translated into several world languages. Jasna lives and works in Zagreb. Disquiet…
Two Poems By Olalekan Hussein
OLALEKAN HUSSEIN, NGP VI is an emerging poet who writes from Lagos, Nigeria, where he studies in the Arabic/Islamic institution, Darul Falah. Autopsy for Dead Flowers What name do I give everything around me that got swept by a grasping air after telling God not…
One Poem By Michael H. Brownstein
Michael H. Brownstein’s latest volumes of poetry, A Slipknot to Somewhere Else (2018) and How Do We Create Love (2019) were both published by Cholla Needles Press. In addition, he has appeared in Last Stanza, Café Review, American Letters and Commentary, Skidrow Penthouse, Xavier Review,…
Two Poems by Fatihah Quadri Eniola
Fatihah Quadri Eniola writes from Nigeria. She is a member of HCAF (Hilltop creative arts foundation), Black Girls’Tales, and Nibstears Poetry Cave. Tango Drip by drip, the world trickle into a body of water. The drops echo in the tranquil air, ventilating the amused hearts…
Four Poems By Italian Poet, Gabriella Garofalo
Born in Italy some decades ago, Gabriella Garofalo fell in love with the English language at six, started writing poems (in Italian) at six, and is the author of several books. What a waste, what a crying shame Any time you dive into the waves…
Two Poems By Bisola Bada
Bisola Bada is a Business Psychologist and writer from Nigeria. She writes about the intersection of life, beauty, love, and everything in between; she writes especially for the girl child. I forgive myself in pleasing patriarchy I am a sinner but I forgive myself because…
Àdùké: A Poem By Dayò Ayílárá
Dayò Ayílárá writes from Abuja, Nigeria. His poetry focuses on nature, the beauty in pain, hope, love, and loss. To measure your smile i will take my traverse up the mountain range child of gladness, your dawning changes attire like white weather soaked in yellow…
A Poem By Thadeus Emmanuel
Thadeus Emmanuel is a writer, poet, and critic. He is a student of Economics at the Taraba State University, Jalingo, Taraba State. The Poem My Mother Used to Write Me Tell me, have you ever watched your mother, on a cold afternoon— …
One Poem By Olayioye Paul Bamidele
Olayioye Paul Bamidele is a writer and a student of mass communication. His works have appeared or forthcoming in Spillword, Lunaris, Artlounge, Afreecan, Ice Floe, Terror House, and elsewhere. Everything Names Me everything names me – grief, pentecostal babel, spittle gun, vodka speech on the…
One Poem By Adamu Yahuza
Adamu Yahuza is a budding poet and spoken word artist from Kwara State, Nigeria. His poem, ‘Catalogue of memories’ has been nominated by Oneblackboylikethat Review for 2023 best of the Net Prize. A stranger once knocked on our door & went with my voice watch…
A Poem by Fatihah Quadri
Fatihah Quadri is a Nigerian Poet, creative writer, and literary critic. She is a member of the Hilltop Creative Arts Foundation. She writes from Ibadan, Oyo State. Dear heathen I would have loved to speak to God in your name, You were overdone That your…
One Poem By Meshack Ifada
Meshack Ifada is eighteen years. He is an aspiring poet from Nigeria with works in Brittle Paper, Spill Words Press, Jalada, and elsewhere. Principle of Water & it is true; the fruitlessness of washing the knees. I know what i please to not be deliverance….
A Tribute by Benyeakeh Miapeh
This soulful tribute to Abunic Sheriff whose works Eboquills had previously published is moving. Benyeakeh Miapeh writes from the heart, lamenting a talent snatched too soon by death. We pray that the soul of the departed finds rest. A Broken Lament For Abunic you told…
One Poem by Toluwalogo Niji-Olawepo
Toluwalogo Niji-Olawepo is a writer from Nigeria who finds expression in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. She is also a medical student. 219, 000 Hours 140,160 was the beginning of flowers blooming. The uprising of bending branches, heeding the call of the bright sunlight. 157,680…
One Poem by Ismail Yusuf Olumoh
Ismail Yusuf Olumoh is a Nigerian creative writer and teacher, poet, spoken word artiste, graphics designer, content creator, and video editor. He writes from Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. This is how I pray [after Sodiq Oyekanmi & Yahuza AbdulKadir] each day the sky gown quintuples,…
One Poem By Evang Godspraise Igaga
Evang Godspraise Igaga is a recently published author of the children’s book titled, “See Me, I am a Professor.” She is also a survivor of domestic violence and an inspirational writer. He Kissed the Devil Dedicated to all women who have been humiliated by the…
One Poem By Wisdom Adedeji
Wisdom Adedeji, NGP xi, is a Nigerian genre-bending writer. He studies Geography at the Unversity of Ibadan and writes from there. Repentance I sit on the palm of God, & toy with the devil’s testicles. There is no space in hell again, & right now,…
Ada: A Poem By Joshua Jason
Joshua Jason is a budding poet and writer, and an undergraduate at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Adà The oceans speak more honestly to those willing to drown, I talked to the stars about you most of them held my wishes for…
One Poem By Nweke Benard Okechukwu
Nweke Benard Okechukwu is a Nigerian poet and cosmetician. He has works in TOLTED house, Muse house, Sixthfinch, Eboquills, New Yorker, & others. Autograph of July & we are collecting the first rain with peevish hearts. between the beginning & end of the year, you…
One Poem By Salim Yakubu Akko
“The Funeral of Grief” by Salim Yakubu Akko is a searchlight for wellness and stability or its remnants in a chaotic nation. The poet’s simple language is beautifully embroidered with poetic expressions. Kwaghkule, Jacob – Contributing Editor (Poetry) The Funeral of Grief i want to…
One Poem By Moses Victor Jassa 
“Struggle from the Wag” by Moses Victor Jassa examines alcoholism. The poet paints a vivid picture of a liquor addict with related imagery and beautiful metaphors. I am delighted to share this piece with you. Kwaghkule, Jacob – Contributing Editor (Poetry) Struggle from the Wag I…
One Poem By Yahuza Abdulkadir 
This poem by Yahuza Abdulkadir is a deliberate dive into religion and faith. It captures concrete images of a boy drowning his body in the worship of his creator. Yahuza paints the beauty and happiness surrounding every believer in the faith of Islam. Kwaghkule Jacob…
One Poem By Abdurrahman Ardo
This poem, “From a Bird’s Eye View” is a metaphor for survival. The poet uses a bird as a representative for all victims of a marauding world. Abdurrahman Ardo has a strong grip on language and his craftiness with words makes this poem worth sharing….
One Poem By Alshaad Kara
Alshaad Kara’s poetry is a window into broken souls. His poem, “Ictus” leaves one marveling at how pain can be beautifully woven into poetry. It is a pleasure to share this incredible piece with you. Kwaghkule Jacob – Contributing Editor (Poetry) ICTUS I filled my…
Two Poems By The Dark Poet
The Dark Poet’s poems- “Uninvited Guest” and “Past glory” – are lamentations of untimely encounter with death. Written in honor of victims of fate, these poems contain ‘graphic pictures’ of how people stepped out armed with hopes and dreams only to meet death. Kwaghkule Jacob Contributing…
A Poem By Liberian Poet, George Worjlor
George Worjlor’s poem “For the Brother Who has Fallen Asleep” is a beautifully woven lamentation written in honor of a beloved. The persona writes epitaph [though grave-less-ly] in a grievous ink as farewell lines for the deceased, urging the deceased to sleep well wherever sleep…
Three Poems By Inimfon Inyang-Kpanantia
Inimfon Inyang-Kpanantia pours himself unreservedly into these three poems; “sky as a portrait of rebirth”, “Papa”, and “Three Dreams and a Thing or Two on an Entomology”. It is such a delight to share these beautiful poems because they are so personal, yet so relatable….
One Poem By Liberian Poet, Benyeakeh Miapeh
“Listen” by Benyeakeh Miapeh is an erudition about the complexities of nature. It urges humans to pay more attention to the sounds of nature. This Liberian poet avers that there’s positivity in the ways of nature, most of which man often makes negative conclusions about….
One Poem By Judith Maikaho
Judith Maikaho, through her poem “Before It’s Too Late,” views the world through eco-critical lenses. Her poem is cautionary because it sends a strong warning note to all abusers of Earth and Mother Nature. I am very happy to share this work with you. Kwaghkule,…
One Poem By Olowo Qudus
Olowo Qudus’ poem is a representation of a thousand dreams and their point of convergence. It depicts the fate(s) of sojourners, the stories they string along as they journey, and the trouble of the road. Olowo Qudus does a good job at capturing the most…
One Poem by Agboola Abidemi Kaothar
“Mystery” by Agboola Abidemi Kaothar puzzles the reader with philosophical submissions. It presents what often was thought of but was never so well expressed as Alexander Pope puts it “…how water finds serenity in the stomach of a coconut is a mystery…” It is an…
One Poem By Liberian Poet, Aloysius S. Harmon Jr
In “Essay of a Broken Boy,” Aloysius S Harmon Jr writes in a melancholic tone that evokes sadness and provokes reflection. He narrates the misery that befalls victims of war and the suffocating uncertainties the survivors must deal with. In this poem, a broken boy…
One Poem By Anderson Moses
Anderson Moses has succeeded in breaking conventionalism in traditional poetry. His poem “I will Re-teach my Tongue how to Remember a Boy” is brewed with originality by which a modern but old story of sadness, grief, and pain is unveiled with mastery. Kwaghkule, Jacob –…
Two Poems By F. O. C. Ikwuemesibe
These two poems by F.O.C Ikwuemesibe are rich with relatable imageries that provoke reflection on the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental consciousness. Each line reverberates with a certain tenderness that is difficult to name. I am very delighted to share these beautiful pieces with you. Ehi-kowoicho…
One Poem By Benue-born Poet, Samuel Nyiyongu
“Final Respect” by Samuel Nyiyongu is a microcosm that encapsulates the nuances surrounding burial ceremonies among the Tivs of Benue State, Nigeria. It laments and lampoons the neglect most old people suffer in their lifetime only to be given a warm recessional welcome when they…
One Poem By Abrahim Bah
In this poem, Abrahim Bah chants a dirge for unrequited love and the incessant turbulence of a love affair, especially such as have the weight of the romance resting too heavily on one lover. Clearly, the poetic persona, a victim of a one-way-traffic love, is…
One Poem By George Flumo
The Poem, Eighth Wonder of the World, is a song of grief. The singer composes such a sonorous song with blurred metaphors and symbols that can ache at a glimpse of the heart of an avid reader. It tells the narrative of a broken poet…
One Poem By Nigerian Poet, Sam Kichoka
The poem, “About Time” is a lamentation over the political and social realities in Nigeria. Sam Kichoka makes a case for an aversion of the oppressive conditions that come with the weaponization of poverty. This reads like a protest poem and a lamentation at the…
One Poem By Liberian Poet, Diah Youlo
The poem, Melodies with my Pillow, uses subtle imageries to unveil to the reader the plights of one who has been hurt and only returns to his/her pillow wailing, counting marbles of the night as if in a conversation with an unknown force pulling him/her…
One Poem By Bachama Poet, Pentecost Zachariah
This poem examines the interrogation of existence. The simple question begging for an answer here is; “does life wait for us or do we wait for its yearnings to come?” Read Pentecost Zachariah’s glaring poem to find out for yourself. Kwaghkule, Jacob – Contributing Editor…
One Poem By Chima Christopher
Chima Christopher brews beauty in his poem. With lines clear as the first ray of the morning sun, the poet sends home his message without ambiguity. In “Red Twilight” the persona hopes that only death separates him from his lover. This poem is a compendium…
One Poem By Azaiouris Y Zeon
Liberian Poet, Azaiouris Y Zeon, took extra care to empty scintillating metaphors into the poem, “when a woman holds your neck.” The lines are bold and like yarns of wool on the nip of crochet pins, they intertwine into such a beautiful whole. We are…
Two Poems By Jason Joshua Chigozie
These poems are sensual and sizzling. They are odes to sexual passion and desire. Jason Joshua Chigozie seems to be skilled at dissecting a subject without necessarily mentioning it. The poems are worth the read! – Editorial Team Salacità* In the dark of the night,I…
One Poem By Abdulroqeeb Arówólò
Abdulroqeeb Arówólò writes about the innocence of childhood wishes and adulthood rays of realization which withers these wishes. This is not just a poem about growing up, it is a poem picked from the begging bowls of street kids and child beggars. Melancholic but melodic!…
One Poem By Omodero David
“Sugar on wet Sand” by Omodero David is experimental and daring. The teen poet seems set to take the poetry community by storm and our fingers are crossed. – Editorial Team Sugar on wet Sand “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;Surely…
A love Poem By Abas Dan
We know that if love was a god, only poets would qualify to be its priests. We are thrilled to share the love poem, “Letter to Ronke”, by Abas Dan. – Editorial team Letter to Ronke Dear Ronke, Cuddle me tonight,for last night my mat…
One Poem By Mhembeuter Jeremiah Orhemba
“An Attempt at Portrait Creation” by Mhembeuter Jeremiah Orhemba, is a mélange of mesmerizing metaphors. The poet is brilliant and makes no attempt at tangling his words to sound grand. Indeed, true sophistication is in simplicity. – Editorial Team An Attempt at Portrait Creation (i)…
Three Poems By Spanish Poet, ts hidalgo
In these three poems, ts hidalgo takes the reader on a tour to a land of creative explosion of poesy. The way he knots all the verses of each poem into a beautiful ribbon in the finishing line is very impressive. Enjoy the read! -Editorial…
One Poem By Etim Bassey Onyam
Can poetry be a vehicle for social change? When the protests and social media hashtags do not yield the results we want, can we turn to poetry? In this poem, “Who Hears Me?” Etim Bassey Onyam, sends a strong message enveloped in metaphors. Every verse…
Five Poems By South Sudanese Poet, Marial Awendit
These poems draw from personal experiences and the political climate in South Sudan. The lines are elegant, rhythmic, and gracefully witty. Marial Awendit, unreservedly pours himself into these poems, employing brevity and simple sophistication in an impressive way. We are thrilled to share these poems…
One Poem By Joshua Effiong
Self- Portrait as a Body is one Poem By Joshua Effiong which strikes the right strings on the chord of rhythm and poetic beauty. We’re sure you’ll enjoy it as much as we did. – Editorial Team Self- Portrait as a Body I plunge into…
One Poem By Liberian Poet, Arthur Shedrick Davies
Repetition, as a poetic device, can make a poem seem like a mouthful and increase the risk of boring one’s reader but in “Wishes”, Liberian poet, Arthur Shedrick Davies employs it with such admirable elegance! Also, we love(d) that the metaphors were both sizzling and…
Lonely Soul, A Poem By Nigerian Poet, I B Adebayo
Sharp. Soft. And moving. Are words that came to mind as we read “Lonely Soul”, written by I B Adebayo. It purrs at the reader’s mind like a pet running into the safe arms of its owner on a stormy night. We loved reading this…
Song from the highway, A Poem By Habeeb Ajinifesin
Is there a better way to remind the world of the struggles of street hawkers than to write a poem with sharp lines that pierce right into our souls? Habeeb Ajinifesin’s poem, “Song from the highway” is what we would describe as a dirge for…
One Poem By Nigerian Poet, Adeyeye James Oluwatobi
What Adeyeye James Oluwatobi refers to as “the re-visitation of grief” can destabilize anyone. The poet employs pungent metaphors to share a story that seems so personal but also universal. – Editorial Team Grey Now that loss fills everywhere – I keep running, it’s not…
One Poem By Ebubechukwu Ifenna Udeoba
Do we realize the extent to which we wreck the future by abusing children whether through child labor or child marriage? In the poem, “Going up- a memoir of flying bodies” Ebubechukwu Ifenna Udeoba raises concerns about child abuse with imageries that melt the heart….
Two Poems By Liberian Poet, Abunic Sherif II
Liberian poet, Abunic Sherif II seems to have taken extra care to condense his emotions into these two poems which satisfy the didactic needs of the wit, without letting the thirst of aesthetes go unquenched. You will love every verse of these poems. – Editorial…
One Poem By Uchendu Njionye
A story lies in the furrows of this poem, we wish it was one that left a smile rather than a sigh but we are thrilled to share “Agatha” a poem by Uchendu Njionye, the poet whose muse grazes on the finest metaphors. – Editorial…
One Poem By Liberian Poet, Janetta Marilyn Konah
What could be more impressive than the manner in which Janetta Marilyn Konah manages to condense decades of warm memories into “Memorabilia”? We are delighted to share this lovely poem with you! – Editorial Team Memorabilia In the left cornerof our big family piazza,The rocking…
One Poem By Nigerian Poet, Ojo Emmanuel
What weighs a person down more than grief? In the poem, “Epitaphs are front pages of the real story”, Ojo Emmanuel writes about loss, grief, and the long painful journey to healing. This is a sad but sensational poem. – Editorial Team Epitaphs are front…
One Poem By Nigerian Poet, Ariyo Ahmad
There are several facets of boyhood that we do not often talk about. Ariyo Ahmad weaves some of them into this rather beautiful poem which is replete with mesmerizing metaphors and other poetic devices. It is such a delight to share it with you. –…
Two Poems By Ogah Friday David
In “Portraits” and “Colours”, Ogah Friday David writes about love and memories. The poems are sensational and such a delight to read. – Editorial team Portraits I paint on your shadow/ a cloudof lilac metaphors/ portraits of ovatekisses round the rim of your waist in…
Three Poems By Fasasi Abdulrosheed Oladipupo
Good poetry is language embroidered with imageries and thought-provoking metaphors. This is what Fasasi Abdulrosheed Oladipupo serves his reader in these three brilliant poems. – Editorial Team Home Songs Soon, I want to be home, neither the seaNor the desert, not the camp where everything…
The Song That Sings Me: A Poem By Kwaghkule Aondonengen Jacob
This poem will easily win a reader’s heart and hold them spellbound with its simple but sublime imageries. Kwaghkule Aondonengen Jacob’s poem, “The Song That Sings Me” is a masterpiece. – Editorial Team Before the sky will be bereavedOf the lately smiles of the sunSome…
Two Poems By Ifenaike IfeAyomipo
Rhythmic. Moving. Fantastic wordplay. These poems are best adopted for a stage performance but they still sit on the page with so much grace. Ifenaike IfeAyomipo is a refreshing voice. – Editorial team Recycling my father knows these men. I know them too,history tucks their…
Two Poems By Nigerian Poet Aiyejinna Abraham O.
The poetic persona in both poems is melancholic but nothing short of magical. In “Water is Tasteless to Him That Lives in Peace” Aiyejinna Abraham O. writes about terrorism in such a way that we are beginning to think that when a person rummages through…
You Won’t Find God Here, A Poem By Ololade Edun
No one does better than a poet at giving grief a voice. This is what Ololade Edun effortlessly does in this poem, “You Won’t Find God Here”. The lines of this poem are melancholic yet it somehow manages to be mesmerizing. – Editorial Team they…
One Last Prayer, A Poem By Victor Femi-Lawal
In “One Last Prayer”, Victor Femi-Lawal weaves a moving requiem for victims of the Lekki massacre. For so many other people, that bloody night is now history but that is not what it is for poets like Victor who remembers that night as the night…
Two Poems By Zimbabwean-born Poet, Tyrone Takawira
In “Out” and “Rooftops”, Zimbabwean-born poet, Tyrone Takawira writes about rape, incest, and suicide with what we would love to refer to as lucid lines. The stories trapped in these poems are sensational and make a pleasurable read. – Editorial Team Out The hum of…
One Poem By Ajani Samuel Victor
To be a poet seems to be a commissioning to write about the collective pains and pleasures of humanity. Ajani Samuel Victor, Nigerian poet, and writer contributes his voice to the anthem of our great poetic commission with this rather brilliant poem, “My Body is…
Two Poems By Bobbybryan Uzoma
Life teaches many lessons via ordinary things and poets often volunteer themselves to harvest and share these lessons with the world. We are pleased to see how Bobbybryan Uzoma does this in these two brilliant poems. – Editorial Team You never know what you get…
Haunted Room: A Poem By Franklyn Orode
Always a joy to watch a poet recycle dark emotions and make something stunning out of them. Franklyn Orode, the author of Ashes of Orange Dreams, does this so effortlessly in his poem, Haunted Room. – Editorial Team This room is now a shrinking continent…
One Poem By Liberian Poet, Prince U D Tardeh
We have read several poems about a year as strange as 2020 but this poem, “When a Year Leaps” by Prince U D Tardeh stands out. Because it is a tribute to some of the most amazing earthlings who took a bow this year. Although,…
Two Poems By Nigerian Poet, Nwankwo Prosper O
In these poems, with metaphors so crisp, every line is a little bit of magic and so much of splendor, Nwankwo Prosper O massages words till they exude a delicious symphony. Very impressive! – Editorial Team Offing how do you tell a boy-jalopy / catching…
The Ocean Boils, A Poem By Nwanne Agwu
Some poems shout their message out like a street evangelist but others speak so softly yet so strongly. “The Ocean Boils” by Nwanne Agwu, fits into the latter category. Every line will snake its way through your being and leave behind a trail of rhetorics…
Distillation of a Decade: A Poem By Adepoju Isaiah Gbenga
A poem that can tell the story of our existence with such crisp and catchy lines wins just about any heart effortlessly. Adepoju Isaiah Gbenga won us with his poem “Distillation of a Decade.” The ‘story’ woven into the lines of this poem is our…
Africanus: A Poem By Nigerian Poet, Ayodeji Oje
There’s always a lot to say about Africa and the black heritage, and each time we read young African poets, like Ayodeji Oje, who have something important to say about the Africa of our dreams, we are obligated to share with the world. In the…
Two Poems By Joshua James Onuh
Poetry is not always about the aesthetics of concrete poems and the symphony of rhymed verses. Sometimes, it is didactic. Other times, it documents the Afro-wits and wisdom passed down by our ancestors. This is what Joshua James Onuh does with his poetry. These two…
Two Poems By Akeem S.A
Documenting the times and seasons in lines and in verses is the obsession of fine poets, and Akeem S.A is not an exception. In these poems, “The Lads Rising, the Monarchs Falling” and “Wrecked Dream” he writes about the state of affairs in his home…
Three Poems By Nigerian Poet, Boloere Seibidor
This suite of poems is a tripod, nestling lines with the potency of red-hot coals. The poems might smell like your fondest memories of love and replay your wrestling matches with anxiety and faith issues, but one thing is certain, they will warm your heart…
Two Poems By Nigerian Poet, Ayooluwa Olasupo
In the poem, “This Time Last Year”, Ayooluwa Olasupo proves that poetry is about the best way to invest pain. The richness of her diction is compelling and every line of the first poem is embroidered with a mesmerizing metaphor that pours right into the…
Two Poems By Nigerian Poet, Daniel Tabowei
The lines of these two poems, “Hallucinations” and “The Passion” will snake through your mind slowly but with such a marveling intensity. Daniel Tabowei carefully chooses metaphors and imageries with the finesse of a fine-fingered sculptor who chisels a crooked log into a magnificent sculpture….
I’m Unable to Love the Girl in my DM: A Poem by Edwin Olu Bestman
Edwin’s poem, “I’m Unable to Love the Girl in my DM” strikes a chord with contemporary love relationships. How it sets out with the fury of a wildfire, burns wildly like an inferno, and quickly smoothers into a stream of noxious smoke. In this poem,…
Two Poems By Nigerian Poet, Oladosu Michael Emerald
Growing up is a little different for males in a society that sets unrealistic goals for men. In these poems, Oladosu Michael Emerald writes about his adventurous transition from boyhood to manhood. These poems tell a story that many are not bold enough to write…
Two Love Poems by Olabode Olanrewaju
When it comes to writing love poems, it takes a certain ingredient which when absent makes the poem a gathering of cliched lines. We found this ingredient in Olabode Olanrewaju’s “Lovers’ Web” and “Thunderbolt.” Each poem struck a chord and made a statement that is…
Our Eyes Were Watching God: A Poem By Eduardo de Bosco
We know that one could be low on cash and resources but one should never be low on hope. Because, it is the currency we spend in the city of survival, the ticket to the tomorrow which we so dream of. In the poem, “Our…
Three Poems by Nigerian Poet, Daniel Ezeokeke
How does one turn pain into lines that feel like balm? This question is one, most young Nigerian writers have been trying to answer in the past few days. The times are difficult and especially so for creatives who are unable to gather their thoughts….
Booty of War, A Poem By Winifred Kijie Odu
In “Booty of War”, Winifred Kijie Odu’s lines sit crisply in the verses of the poem with such precision that makes it admirable. Each line, carefully woven with the yarns of poetic devices, drips with nostalgia and a longing for the day when hope will…
The Moon That Never Beamed By Nigerian Poet Ókólí Stephen Nonso
We know that everyone processes grief in a different way, Ókólí Stephen Nonso is not an exception. In his poem, “The Moon That Never Beamed”, he writes about the death of a loved one, the vacuum which time does not effectively fill, and the residue…
Red: A Poem By U A Edwardson
Those who dare to be different do not have it easy. In “Red”, U A Edwardson examines the ‘burden’ of being deviant in a world where everyone sways to the symphony of norms. He writes with such sharp lines that pierce the reader’s mind. If…
Two Poems By Nigerian Poet, Charles Nnanna
Not all poems are written to answer questions, some are written to ask the tough questions which we never ask. In these poems, “Truth Has No Epitaph” and “Who Smothers The Agony Accrued when the Feet Meets a Familiar Gravestone?”, Charles Nnanna asks questions which’d…
Sunflowers and Sunburns: A Poem by Joshua Effiong
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…
2 Poems By Liberian Poet, Edwin Olu Bestman
In the poem “New Kru Town, Where I Come From” Edwin Olu Bestman, paints a picture of his town with such bold lines, embroidered with strong metaphors and other poetic devices. The vigor flows into the second poem, “Darkness: the surname of a poor lover”…
Smiles of Pain, A Poem By Liberian Teen Poet, Aloysius S. Harmon Jr
In Smiles of Pain, Aloysius S. Harmon Jr, enthralled us with such simplicity that is becoming scarce in contemporary poetry. Although the Liberian teen describes himself as an aspiring writer/poet, his careful selection of words reflects a rich diction which is a must-have for the…
Butterfly Effect by Nigerian Teen Poet, Rita Azekwoh
Nigerian teen poet, Rita Azekwoh is the definition of ‘precocious.’ Her didactic poem, “Butterfly Effect” was delivered with what we would like to refer to as an endearing simplicity. Her art holds much promise and we are delighted to share this piece of magic with…
origin of songs: A Poem By Nigerian Poet, Philip Abonyi
Philip Abonyi’s poem, origin of songs, is an enticing slice of creativity. The strong metaphors in this poem will get you thinking and the message it seeks to pass to the reader is not as cryptic as the handwriting on the ancient Babylonian wall. We…
Enter the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award
Deadline: July 31st “The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award is the biggest poetry competition for 11-17-year olds in the world. [Teen poets can jump on this right away and begin their career in a grand style. Yeah! We are that optimistic about you,…
Ehi-kowochio Ogwiji Discusses Poetry & Shares Excerpts From her Forthcoming Chapbook With Poets in Nigeria
Poets in Nigeria (PIN) is Nigeria’s foremost initiative for poets, whether greenhorns or established poets. The initiative is committed to supporting all Nigerian poets with every year loaded with interactive contests and programs. PIN Literary Interviews Moderator Semilore in this interactive session with Ehi-kowochio Ogwiji…
Sacrilege By Shitta Faruq Ademola
Shitta Faruq Ademola’s poem, Sacrilege narrates the girlchild’s plight with sharp imagery. He wears the rather tight shoes, which fate gifts women, and takes a few steps, and recounts the feeling which came with every stride in lines and in verses. Sacrilege a pleasant poem…
how come your hair smells so nice? -Poetry
Written By: Praise Osawaru Praise Osawaru’s poem provokes strong emotions. He writes about how boundaries stand in the way of genuine concerns for siblings. How often we have to burn our tongues, swallowing the truth because we do not want to hurt those close to…
before a woman marked her body unsafe
Written By: Tukur Ridwan Tukur writes about violence on women in this rather brilliant poem littered with imageries that leap right out of the page. He models a potent way to join our voices in the clamor for social change. ‘before a woman marked her…
Iron Born: A Poem By Abunic Sherif II
Liberian poet, Abunic, writes against racial discrimination in very sharp lines. His solidarity with those who were murdered on the scaffold of racism is so glaring. We hope that you enjoy the read as much as we did here. “What is dead may never die.”…
A Tale of Two Cowards
Written By: Samuel Adeyemi today, i am more splinter than bone,more shard than glass. i wouldrather break than bend for at leastthere is a finality. the pages of my life flip above thecandlelight; chapters charring to grey,though the paper hasn’t lowered into theflame. isn’t torture…
The First Twilight & the First Hand
Written By: Nwàohà Chíbúzor Anthony The Poet, Nwàohà Chíbúzor Anthony tells a melancholic ‘story’ in the poem, “The First Twilight & the First Hand”. Love and loss, two powerful and universal themes are central in this piece. The emotion every line evokes is powerful! In…
Death Unmasked (Covid 19)
Written By: Eduardo De Bosco The Liberian poet, Eduardo writes about the new tempo of life in Liberia since the pandemic. The closing lines are full of hope and positive vibes. This is a beautiful poem written in the form of a letter to the…
If the Earth Evolves by Dying
Written By: Jude Chike The poet in this short poem, calls our attention to how we are very much like the earth. This is a poem about all of us and our dear earth. If Earth evolves by dying, I ama desert, like the Sahara,…
Fireflies
Written By: Franklyn Orode A professional civil engineer and poet writes a poem about nature Often they come on some forlorn eveningsThese distant relatives of the sparkling starsOut in the open field like innocent childrenPlaying on rainy days, oblivious of our painMyriads of fragile angels…
Blood on the Wall
Written by: Edwin Olu Bestman A Liberian poet writes about COVID-19 and the situation of things in Liberia Here we are againLosing our love onesIt’s raining harshly in our cityCOVID -19 ruining our homesAnd tears rolling off the windowpane Silent screams!Different voices playing in our…
How I Stopped Being a Closet Poet
The first time I stood before an audience to share a poem was October 2016. I remember it like yesterday. It was the grand finale of the Scribble the Future Poetry Competition for all-female student poets at the University of Ibadan. I was wearing a…
Diary Of A Boy Wearing A Frown
Written By: Abuoya Eruot i want to vacate earth without experiencing death each friday sermon,i yearn for a place that’s not even safe for god in plain language,my depression makes me tiptoe/jump out of my body into heaven/ for a dire aid but the atmosphere spins at…
Sickle Cell Is the New Tribe
Written By: Jeremy T. Karn for bijoux you’ve heard about flowers thatgrow in the dirt. there are flowers with thorns that grow in thebones & some that grow in your aunt’sbackyard garden every morning as you fix yourbones in your body & dress for the…
The Phantom’s Refrain
Written By: Samuel Adeyemi A boy walks into a bar,swings the door openlike he is the wind’s first child.But a boy has no mother.The world commits another absurd adoption.A boy is another loose string on the cello,another wrong piano note,whose sound is swallowed in the…
A Thing Too Stressed
Written By: Precious Uwen when we started loving it was like we got new clothes. and we’d never stain it. But we wore our love repeatedly for days without changing it. We wore our love with the same pattern, with the same style. The same…
The Songbirds Sing, My Ears Hear a Dirge
Written By: Adejuwon Gbalajobi You’re heavy upon me heart, sorrow.You’re a ravenous beast inside of me.A thousand Psalms I’ve sung to silence you,my throat burns with prayers to still your madness– still you ravish me. How do I wheel myself into joy when it is…
My Crush is a Black Hole
Written By: Naphtali Festus Adda 1:13 am.i think of Prudence. how she flashes her teeth. how she weaves words like a basket. her beauty. her baritone voice – my phone rings, it’s another message from Quora digest, it reads; what is a black hole? //…
To My Next Abuser
Written By: John Chizoba Vincent When next you come stretchingyourself into a different nameless river,I beg to connect to your tide and waves,do not force me to spread my legsagain like those that came before youdid; I have not seen my period afterMallam Musa’ prayers…
I am a chalice
Written By: Maxwell Opia-Enwemuche I am a chalice full of sweet wine & my wine is for my priest, a priest I will yield my body & soul. Do not desire me for pleasure; look beyond my enticing hour-glass body & embrace my conscious cerebral…
Meditation on Writing
Written by: Pamilerin Jacob I fail miserablyat my most beloved habit. Suddenly, a stone is a stone. A cloud is a cloud. &the water in my cup possesses no ancient history. Not a symbol. Nota metaphor. The mornings are stripped clean of magic: birds, no…
of rejection letters
Written by: Olaewe D Opeyemi i must admit, i do not know too much about letters — any kind of letters except for the ones i was forced to write in school, the one WAEC asked us to write, the ones i wrote in farewell…
Will You Still Be Family?
By Joshua Tom A minor chord and then an arpeggio like a blonde on balé a question danced on my broken heart. When the melody goes to bed and there’s no strum or click, when our world goes silent will you still be Family? Oh!…
Caesura: A Poem By Nigerian Poet, Jide Badmus
Jide’s poem, “Caesura” closely resembles a skilled short distance athlete. The poem starts off on its strongest foot and speeds through the reader’s mind with such gusto that won our admiration at the first read. What is more commendable is how the poem arrives at…
Chukwu Emmanuel: On This Side, I Call My Body A New Name
my therapist calls me fragile/ meaning after she checks on me/ she still concludes i’m broken.– for N. I have never been afraid to tell my story/maybe this way I will know this body better/& my fears made easy and accessible/like how it is a…
Gabriel Dkings: Slavery
Once we were slavesSold to the tragedy of lifeBeaten by the rain of sorrowSailed on the boat of difficultyLost in the forest of fearFound in the middle of confusion Where frustration became our new names Our minds were chained with liesSo we sang songs with…
Gideon Emmanuel: Cobwebs
How do our lives dangle in the scale of fate, Scared of a balanced end in the trap of death How does our conscience lay ambush to our trust And our mistakes like preys, lay When shall our thoughts be free from lust And our…
Naphtali Festus Adda: insomnia
the night is here again, my body is perfumed with a cologne of thoughts, of grief, & of grief still – the rain of the eyelashes is falling lightly lightly on my cheeks it’s 10:39 PM already & my brother – a sleepy-snorer is calling…
How we Spell Home, A Poem By E. Ogwiji
‘How we Spell Home’ is a gripping poem about the chaos and unrest in the poet’s home country. What else should a poet do when all the synonyms of ‘home’ she knows are words that unsettle her? Trapped in this poem, are many stories of…
The Editor’s ‘No’ or Nod
Last night, the editor looked through a pile of poems, where mine hid, with a smear of mama’s anointing oil, wrapped in the first prayer I mumbled after my last rejection. (Is there even a thing as last rejection? Is rejection not a long endless…
A POET’S SOLILOQUY
“When tears are in your eyes, It’s time to look inside, Your heart will find another way” –Enya Are poems not the pallbearers of a poet’s dead dreams & hopes? I am awed by the way they donate their shoulders to bear the pain Of…
THIS IS HOW I MADE MY WINGS
With sunken eyes in tired sockets, a girl ran after her father’s sigh; seized it, slit its throat, hid the blood-stained knife in a lawn of solitude & became the dream her father had on the night of her conception. She remembers her mother’s words,…
AN ECHO OF SILENCE
Because we do not preserve memories from decay By immersing them in vessels filled with formalin, I tried to remember you today- your smell, your kiss The beats and lyrics of the songs you said your heart Sang for me, but I can’t remember any….
THE NEW DEATH MANUAL
Pain is like alcohol. I do not know how many shots gets you tipsy, But the first time life served me shots of pain, I staggered home, entered into a poem & passed out. At dawn, mother dispelled the hangover with these words: “Daughter, pain…
AN ARTIFACT OF A GROIN WAR
Ekoja’s body was a haunted house. Haunted: by a glowing darkness; by a cocktail of voices fading into silence; by footsteps echoing a numbing pain. [You’ll never know that scars are ghosts until your deepest wounds die but you still hear their voices in your…
STICKY NOTES
We read the sticky notes on her wall today, “What separation technique is used To separate pain from life?” “How does a fish who lost its gills survive? Does it befriend the tides or surrender to The fangs of the waters?” “As a man releases…
Musings, Monologues & Madness
I we do not know how many calabashes of fermented incantations the gods must drink to get drunk, but we know that wisdom is not something the gods give in exchange for kola nuts! sometimes he melts it into verses & allows it to drip…
The Sun That Would Not Rise In The East
The day Akanji hosted death, the crown exhaled in relieve as it watched a hundred and one brittle-hearted fellows adorned with mournful grins, troop to his festive funeral They said: “He’s dead! The man who defaced the wall of humanity with his uncommon shade of…
All The Madness Around Here
Whether or not Charly Boy was born with a placard in his hand, I know not, But his words: “Our mumu don do” must not be left to burn in the fireplace of sentiments Because medicine for many of the ailments that plague our society,…
How A Man Enters Into His Head
These two things marvel me: how a man enters into his head with the map he inherited from his father, walks the winding paths, until he is lost! & how a man hides from death by standing behind his breath, covering the nakedness of his…
Voyages of Deserts & Forests
The night is cold, old & grey, but my thoughts would not let it die. A tear trickles down my cheeks to water the stands of joy, withering in my heart. See, if life is a desert, every man carries his own oases in his…
Even Death Has Regrets
This is a slightly revised version of a poem published by Parousia Magazine in 2018. We thought to share this with you in the spirit of Easter. Enjoy this sizzling Easter poem! Stuck in the throat of the wind is a song, a dirge for…
To woo a man
Who said a woman must sit still like a statue or sculptured image under the tree of love and wait till the wind of fate blows down bat-eaten fruits into her outstretched hands? Who said a woman cannot stand upon her feet like a human…
Blind and Helpless Figures
This morning, Just like my blind neighbor, Musa and his son Yussuf A blind me placed my hand on the shoulder of my muse And away wandered, walking within a world of words Ai salam ley ku Put a coin here and Allah will smile…
A Girl’s Life Is An Allotrope Of Death
Last night I drank an ol’ man’s sigh- mouthful after mouthful; & sat still until the last drop, staggered down my throat, into my bowels to quench the flames burning therein. Early this morning, I awoke to Dawn- perching on the rays of the sun,…
Tell Me How To Woo Adaobi
How to woo Adaobi
Let Us Be One Poem
I know my soul is a complex of ballads &odes,
One of you
Do not ask me again Why I hop from tree to tree like a monkey It is because I am in a frantic search For healing herbs for my bedridden country And just as the thunder’s applause welcomes the rain And the torch of lightening…
A Letter to Dawn
As soon as mama weaned me
Papa stood by the corners of my mouth
With a gourd, full of wisdom
And told me; “Drink, my child, drink!
For life is a journey through a desert
Where there are no oases.”
Come Watch Me, Dance Naked
Jaachi, I am the tree which died in the seedlings you refused to tend. I am a memory you cannot drown in a keg of palm-wine, for like a feather, I will float upon the rivers of your thoughts till you recall and regret the night when you abandoned a broken flute at the village square, for I am that flute and wholeness found me in the hands of a drummer boy who lost his drumsticks.
A TALE OF MIGRATORY LOCUSTS & HOLOCAUST
They said the moon would weep with us when death eats supper in our huts but as soon as the sun slept off, she sharpened the claws of the stars &led them to our huts Watch how you hold the words of this poem ‘cos…
Derivatives of Silence
. a lady is holding god’s obituary- she painted it on a canvas of pain with the crayons of his silence she is saying; “i’m not an artist but i watched god die in the tears of a little boy, who was born with a…
Solitude: A Poem By Ehi-kowochio Ogwiji
On the shelf of solitude, silence is a book, with black & white pages, telling stories which died on their way to the village square; like that of Enem Ogodoo, the one who spent a lifetime, oiling a flute which would play the first note…
Death is not another color of light
Do not tell me that death is an anaerobic sleep, And like the whale which swallowed Jonah, It’d spew my son at the tideless shore of bliss, Just to muffle my mournful wail! If you must, let your coffin first sail on a sea of…
The door creaked again, last night
like the night before, i crawled under our bed, from where i watched them; cut my brother’s arms, smash my father’s testicles, plant iron seeds in mama’s thighs & left me a glass of fresh milk. — that night, death was with me & he…
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