the lamentation
when the tongue of /my country tastes
a jamboree of /salty grief & scolding my
president becomes child abuse, /i like to
think an angel hides the /prayer file of my
people /from God.
/in my father's house are many mansions,
but i am not anxious to own any, neither should
a wandering bullet find a home in my belly nor
point me a quit notice from this place. some
days, i wear prayers like my traditional bead,
chanting beneath a heaven of brass. other
days, i am a blue boy behind a baobab
tree, sharpening a bone to stab the
sun
of
God.
a jamboree of /salty grief & scolding my
president becomes child abuse, /i like to
think an angel hides the /prayer file of my
people /from God.
/in my father's house are many mansions,
but i am not anxious to own any, neither should
a wandering bullet find a home in my belly nor
point me a quit notice from this place. some
days, i wear prayers like my traditional bead,
chanting beneath a heaven of brass. other
days, i am a blue boy behind a baobab
tree, sharpening a bone to stab the
sun
of
God.
|
BIO:
Flourish Joshua is a (performance) poet from Nigeria, a NaiWA poetry scholar, 2nd place winner of the 7th Ngozi Agbo Prize for Essay, Managing Editor at NRB, Interviews Editor at Eremite Poetry & Poetry Reader at Bluebird Review and Frontier Poetry. He is published (or forthcoming) in London Grip Poetry, East French Press, Olongo Africa, Ghost City Review, Brittle Paper, Indianapolis Review, Bluebird Review, and elsewhere. He is a Student of the University of Lagos. Say hello to him on Instagram/Twitter @fjspeaks.
Flourish Joshua is a (performance) poet from Nigeria, a NaiWA poetry scholar, 2nd place winner of the 7th Ngozi Agbo Prize for Essay, Managing Editor at NRB, Interviews Editor at Eremite Poetry & Poetry Reader at Bluebird Review and Frontier Poetry. He is published (or forthcoming) in London Grip Poetry, East French Press, Olongo Africa, Ghost City Review, Brittle Paper, Indianapolis Review, Bluebird Review, and elsewhere. He is a Student of the University of Lagos. Say hello to him on Instagram/Twitter @fjspeaks.
