Rebel

we agree it is the mind that wants
to die, not the body in search of peace,

my friend jumped into a river &
his body wrestled him out of the water

he testifies to me life is a farce
death, a bigger farce

unlike a moth, i am not born
with the luxury instinct to die

dying is performative i am
incompetent at everything

each time i hold a knife the
metal mirrors my mother’s face

do you understand? i am not alive

for myself i still breathe to prove
my mother did not birth an ellipsis

that her three sons are not
dots wading through a poem

By Samuel A. Adeyemi

Biography:

Samuel A. Adeyemi is a young writer from Nigeria. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Palette Poetry, Frontier Poetry, 580 Split, Leavings Lit Mag, The Shore, African Writer, The African Writers Review, Jalada, and elsewhere. When he is not writing, he enjoys watching anime and listening to a variety of music. You may reach him on Twitter and Instagram @samuelpoetry