To The One Who Desires To Be Me
what life is left in me to be desired?
me, the wayward wing of
a brawny bluebird that lost
its grip on the tiptop of a fruit tree
fell flat on the heart of a wretched rock
where rains washed all traces of
its milky memories far far away
i live on the end of the world—the very edge,
where smiles are synthetically sunny
and suns rise each day razing all hopes;
where the sky wears the rainbow
as a lovely lip gloss in the morning,
takes a long lasting leak at night
leaving the earth a sodden bed;
i’m that child who lost his way,
that bird you saw without its wings,
the black baobab, lushless, leafless,
the worn well without water,
the house without a home,
i’m that love dying unrequited;
do not pray to be me beloved,
for i’m no better breed
than the faithful fairy you see
every morning in your mirror:
fresh flesh, bone, blood—divine dust,
basking in his borrowed breath.
…….
Frank Eze resides in Ibadan, Nigeria. His poem "IJE: I" was shortlisted for the annual Korea/Nigeria Poetry prize, 2016 edition. His poems have been published on 'Storried', 'COAL' 'WritiVision' and other online journals. Frank Eze is passionate about art, especially poetry.