The Commandment
Everything goes –
A government bent on achieving
Kill everyone who is not like you
& I am not like you
My shoelaces the colour of the sky
My semen the colour of the rainbow
A bowtie to match &
God in prison –
Really not a type to fit in –
A noose around my neck &
Everything goes –
A body not mine & a deity locked away from
My reach –
To be used against me – to be my
Kind is to be cursed bruised rejected & killed
By Akpa Arinzechukwu
Biography:
Akpa Arinzechukwu is a Nigerian photographer and poet. His work has appeared on Litro, Sou’wester, New Contrast, Kalahari Review, Packingtown Review, ITCH, Eastlit, and elsewhere. He is a joint winner of 2017 inaugural Sophiamay Poetry Prize.