mist
after warsan shire
I am pondering the warmth
of your skin as it demands
the intention of a kiss, something
light quivering through
our tongues to find the
beginning of a whirlwind.
cue the dying candlelight
and its descent into the last
shreds of a painting. a shower
of burning things. I see how you waft
into the wind and I learn
the ritual of ballet dancing.
grief can be a delicately
intense arithmetic. this future
is the history of many waters
and I am reminded why the
past take on the colour of mist.
birdhouse
the circus of birds
bleeding in and out
the eaves of this
abandoned house is
a performance of
love. I should have
told you how
the wind tunnels
into my bones so you
too can stroll
in with your grief.
Elias Udòchi Andrevn is a Nigerian writer. Most of his poetry intersects the sacred with the individuality of his body and an accompanying trauma of place. He has poems forthcoming or already in Heroin Chic, African Writers, Poetry Column-NND, Mojave Heart Review, Salmon Creek Journal, Feral Poetry and others. A 2018 Wawa Book Review Young Literary Critic Fellow, he resides in Benin City with Chu Chu and a puppy Ella. He is a member of The Deadliners, a collective of badass Nigerian creatives. You can connect with him on Twitter @Eliasandrevn.
