By Ewa Gerald Onyebuchi for the long dark hair trailing down her back, housing the red sea and mushrooms of sadness. O yes, for the endless line of bridges forged on her skin, scalded by the weight of holding back, of becoming a gentle wave after a storm. you don't have to look at a woman twice to know she's fought many wars than Alexander the Great ever did she's the sea that sleeps and wakes up across timelines; her body a collection of wounds that umblica cord between worlds, connecting histories born and those forgotten, buried under the silver tongue of the moon. Once upon a time I was the wind, alone and wandering across a thousand seas, questions pegged on my lips, searching for the meaning of a song the body plays continuously tucked underneath sheets of silence. Now See! a woman I had met at a pub said, leaning in to touch me. her face was the sun in the near-darkness of the room. her long fingers were balls of cotton, warm and tender. Jass poured all around us like soft rain. like the smile of God. I looked up from my glass of scotch, above the sharp redness of her lips, into the river in her eyes. I saw, beyond the smile, a tall healthy tree devoid of fruits. Perhaps, it's not time for fruiting, I thought. But then, after a quick deep look, I saw myself a body fragile and small & deviant and trying to break free from those walls, to sprout new wings like the rest before me. but, unlike the ones before, to dip myself in water not grease because I know that, someday, when this clothe finally wears out, completely lose its gloss, I'll become fire and burn with the brightest of colours. Writer's Biography Ewa Gerald Onyebuchi is an Igbo writer. He writes short stories and poems. His works have been published in Afritondo, Africanwriter, bengaluru review, arts lounge magazine and elsewhere.
9 Comments
This is a short piece but with very deep message.
Reply
Nkemjika, Ifeoma Deborah
1/3/2022 11:59:10 am
This is narrative is fascinating. The imagery is vivid and laced with melodic undertones. "You don't have to look at a woman twice to know she's fought many wars..." Oh, the power of a woman, only if her eyes could tell the tales, and her arms could spring out wings so she will soar above the pangs of sociocultural pressures.
Reply
David Yunana
1/3/2022 01:28:14 pm
The poem started making sense towards the last few paragraphs and that's amazing...poets have a way of drawing you in, while concealing what you are been drawn to until you arrive. This guy did a good job.
Reply
Ugochukwu Anadị
3/3/2022 05:36:07 am
I do not know if the problem of formatting (and punctuation) came from the writer or the site. Whichever one, it affected this beauty of a poem so much, making its reading a little bit tedious. On this note, I'll like to suggest to SprinNg to start asking the poets also to send an audio of them reading the poem. This is important because the poet knows what he/she wrote and how he/she wants it read, in terms of pauses I mean. That'll guide the reader a lot.
Reply
Faith Aminu
5/3/2022 11:50:13 am
Poetry about women are always beautiful and thought-provoking because why not?
Reply
Ujata Samson pau
9/3/2022 12:36:44 am
He started by describing how beautiful beautiful women are.
Reply
Taiwo Oluwabunmi
11/3/2022 05:17:40 pm
This depicts the awareness of a woman
Reply
chisom
14/3/2022 11:43:41 am
"I know that, someday, when this clothe finally wears out, completely lose its gloss,
Reply
Crystal mbek
17/3/2022 09:44:26 pm
Firstly I really love the use of metaphors in this piece, it’s very beautiful.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
SprinNG Quicklinks
For inquiries regarding publications email:
contact@SprinNG.org and we will respond to you within 48hrs. |