in which i plagiarizes my father’s grief
Sodiq Oyekanmi
a cloud can weigh more than a million pounds
& my father’s head || is the sky tonight
i sit in a dark lit cubicle in his head
perfume genius’ moonbend || plays softly
in the background || carving his lungs || ribs fold like fabric
in this poem
a cloud is nothing but a body of water
& I chew the water long enough to know it has bones
my father becomes an empty sky / an empty house
with a dusty mirror i scribble the name of my mother
on it & i can see as grief drips slowly into his lacrimal sacs
grief grief grief grief grief grief grief grief grief grief grief
& this poem || caves into my mother’s
[ grave ]
& this poem || becomes a broken mirror
& this poem || slits my wrists
with its shards & this poem || bleeds into me
background music || take his light from mine
Sodiq Oyekanmi: "I am a poet and thespian; a student of the University of Ibadan, where I currently study Theatre Arts. I enjoy writing poetry as I see this as a creative outlet that enables me to reflect the world around me. My works have appeared on Black Youth Magazine, Kalahari Review, Echelon Review, Crowndeserver, Praxis Magazine, Brittle Paper and African Writer Magazine. When I am not reading or writing, I am listening to Rilés and Taylor Swift’s albums. I tweet @sodiq_oyekan."
