unsung tales of yoke unbroken

mosaics of the many unlived hung undone

the newborn scion betrothed to

the meanders of flexile gods

as ritual or phantom—I do not know which

yet, we dip the newborn in the bewitching lakes

as early riser or insomniac—I do not remember which

yet, the forlorn sky gazer remains shackled

to the memory of graceless kisses

or the lone carving on the obeche

or the single floating frangipani on a black lake 

in a forgotten quarry filled with rains of yesterday

let the swimmer fare well

let the poet fare thee well

let the gods fare the ill well

this foundation will not hold

Diana Nnaemeka is an Igbo writer from Nigeria, a free spirit and a lover of worlds in bits. Her works are published and/or forthcoming in The Walled City Journal, Agbowó Magazine and Prismatica Magazine. She writes from Enugu. Twitter (@queerling__)

Photo Credit: Photo by Spike Cuizon from Pexels