Inevitability

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the other day, momma told me of a woman

who stopped breathing after childbirth. yet again 

an infant outlives his creator. would you consider it

unfair if every time i hear this, i wish these women  

stillbirth. perhaps, their bodies will readjust to the 

feel of grief perfectly. & allow another fertilization

instead of their demise. i begin the counting of 

spirits of the ones who have left, these ones who

had their breath snatched from their lungs before

they could utter their death wish.

i.

don't tell the rain i told you this. 

ii.

mama Jídè walked this path yesterday. i wonder what she

thought about when she heard his first cry.

iii.

the bed of chrysanthemums in our backyard still houses

the four-day-old skeleton of auntie Bísölà's child.

iv.

i don't want to remember the stillness on nurse Títì's face

when she held a baby in her arms while his mum was

clothed in white

daily, i teach 

my lungs how to retain oxygen for tomorrow. when 

this body grows weary of living, when it becomes a

deserter within himself. my head projects to my mind 

the things my mouth can't find words to say, does it mean 

i am walking cadaver? i've come to understand that i, too

can kiss the sand anytime, even after adding a full-stop to

this poem.

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A Nigerian by birth and studying Science Laboratory Technology at the University of Calabar, Joshua Effiong is a lover of poetry and here he finds freedom. His works have appeared or are forthcoming in Eboquills, Kalahari Review, Shallow Tales Review, Rough Cut Press, Madrigal Press, Warning Lines, Hearth Magazine, Mausoleum Press, etc. Connect with him via Instagram @josh.effiong and Twitter @JoshEffiong.

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