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YOUR CART

.chisaraokwu. ​

War Time

                      for Biafra
aren’t
we
just
 
cells
multiplying
wounds
 
in each other's
bodies — war
ink in each other’s
 
veins? we
split
ground
 
ate dust
seeped blood
met God
 
then cried.
you were
there —  &
 
the girl
running along
side you who
 
kicked
up
dust
 
see how war-
time distilled
her surprised eyes
 
to ash
& wonder
in her mother’s
 
mouth. she
stardust
& marrow
 
an acceptable
sacrifice
& her brother— 
 
starved—impregnates
death    click-bait
for future wars   &
 
who of us didn’t
curse
the dust
 
as death tolled
moon rose 
& sun set
 
while a tiny butterfly
escaped
its coffin?

chisaraokwu
.chisaraokwu. is an Igbo actor, poet, and healthcare futurist. Her work has been supported by fellowships from Brooklyn Poets, Cave Canem, Banff, and Chautauqua Literary Arts and has appeared in online & print journals. She calls just about any beach home.
Art: Slumbering banksia, Oormila Vijayakrishnan Prahlad
  
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