Mother knits in the sun, humming
songs of birds. Having snapped her
flowers from the branches of the past,
she sings about rain, about stammering
silences, about the emptiness that blossoms
with the mist. Death came with flowers and
gave her a handful. She took them since
they bore the number of ribs taken from
her. She took them since they were her
children holding out their hands. Mother
knits with a broken smile locked in her songs.
Joseph C.P. Christopher is a poet. He is the author of Salient Whispers (2014) which was shortlisted for ANA/Chevron award for poetry in 2014 and his newest collection is titled Dust in the Rain (2020). He is currently a doctorial candidate with Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. He lives in Abuja.
