Issue 4.1
Winter 2024
Ayafa Tekena
Reflection
As you read this poem may these verses offer solace, assuring you that culpability finds no harbor. The ship has sailed, leaving behind echoes of shared joy, and I trust the journey brought fulfillment to both.
Who Is to Blame?
Told love I have been
cursed with solitude
she laughed not today
but here we are
back to the basics
the beginning
where it all started
my rib has forsaken the body
Tears stream down
the map of recognition
Eyes glow in agony
Insomnia creeps to me
like a shadow
Darkness sinks her fangs
deep into me
life has become a lunar eclipse
Hope drowns in misery
stitched to the heart
like an embroidery
A fallen soldier whose
boots have gone weary
is the future
The present a clown
A comedian
in search of an audience
To drench these tears
with the laughter of fellow men.
Ayafa Tekena resides in Nigeria. He is a poet. He has a penchant for writing and was published in the 2020 24hr poetry marathon. His hobbies include reading, watching movies, and writing. His Twitter handle is @teks_b.
Ayafa's Book Recommendation
Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry by Jane Hirshfield.
The Collected Poems of Lucille Clinton 1965 - 2010 by Kevin Young and Michael S. Glaser.
The Eco Anthology of International Poetry by Ilya Kaminsky and Susan Harris.
The Best American Poetry 2020 by Paisley Rekdal and David Lehman.