Now, I am as quick as fire. But I do not burn
through the hazy dawn. I’m the brown crown
of the match & my love for him is the matchbox.
When we kiss, I ignite. & everything I touch
beams. I do not touch things that are capable
of turning into ashes. I touch anything that
can absorb light, hold fire & still not burn.
Like hope. Like memories. Like my father.
He tells me memorable stories about his life.
Says, he was a lost sheep who could not recognize
the voice of his shepherd, he wandered
a wanting. The wilderness, a thorn tearing
through his flesh. Says, life is all about seeds
& seasons. So, like Cain, he tilled the cornfield
with his teeth as if to fashion a wilderness
into an orchard. Everyday, as darkness began
I could — like the fire chewing up dry oaks,
like the fire shoved into the lantern’s white eye.
Gospel Chinedu
Gospel Chinedu is a Nigerian poet from the Igbo descent. He is a 2021 Starlit Award Winner, 1st Runner Up for the Blurred Genre Contest (Invisible City Lit), 2023, Honorable Mention in the Stephen A. Dibiase Poetry Prize, 2023.
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