Brittle Tone of Grief

Nosakhare Collins

perhaps

this grief

is music

to my ears

how did i forget

my body

in your dirge?

now

I once turned my love

towards a girl that turned water into salt

her tone rocked against my lips

merging silence into silence

calling herself raptor and saint

at night

I entered my neighbour’s house

because my body feels like a rush

of maidens flying wingless, naked body above the air

beautiful air, beautiful day, beautiful body. i carry my wounded body to my mother’s house, this is a testament of all my shortcomings, call me names, mother, your tears flushing down your eyes, your body is crashing into silence, here I am crying

and saying

is it the wound that nursed a body to the grave?

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NOSAKHARE COLLINS is a Nigerian poet, writer, publisher, editor, literary critic, documentary photographer, researcher, and tutor. He is a fellow of the Ebedi International Writers Residency where he co-authored the collection “A Mouthful of Rivers”. He is the author of “A Pilgrim of Songs”, “A Song of Endless Flames”, “When Ravens Become Flowers” and forthcoming, “A Symphony of Existential Profundity”. Works have appeared in National dailies and International online as well as in print journals, newspapers and anthologies such as Salmon Creek Journal(Washington/USA), Wingless Dreamer Publisher(Scotland/India), Odd Magazine(India),  Journal of Erato(US), Openwork Magazine(US), Libero America Poetry(US/ZI), Rejection Letter Journal(US), Ebedi Review, The Newcastle Review, New Telegraph, Least Bittern Books(US), Poetry Festival(US), Indian Periodical Journal(India), Writers Space Africa, Antarctica Journal(US), Litpoint Africa Magazine, Sevhage Review, Alabama’s Best Emerging Poet Anthology 2019(US), Best “New” African Poets Anthology 2018, 2019 & 2020(ZI), Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Africa vs Latin America Anthology 2020(US/ZI), A Collection of poems; For Ikeogu, For Poetry: Anthology of Poems in Honour of Ikeogu Oke, 84 Delicious Bottle of Wine for Wole Soyinka Anthology, InnerChild Press Anthology 2020(US), Songs For The Weaverbird: An Anthology of Writing and Art in Celebration of Christopher Okigbo, and several others. Works have been translated to French, Italian, Spanish and others. Read more about Nosakhare via www.nosakharecollins.com