Prodigal
your head is a house of broken glasses// mirrored
thoughts take turns to smirk at themselves//
they be like i see your nakedness// i see how your
tardy hands handle the rusted hope you inherited
the day you discovered// that the body you’ve found
yourself isn’t what you wish for// that in this universe
freedom is only felt when you pour yourself into a poem//
you say// come watch me set aflame the things that lounge
beneath my skin// blunt desires paint your breath rainbow//
every night the stars in your sky collide// forming the
un-towelled ocean I see in your eyes// how do you feel
when you begin to fight against the belief that molded you// how do
you tell yourself that this new you is a nightmare to mother//
every night you unwrap this part of yourself from your
wardrobe// you savor the taste of being prodigal// you say if
tonight becomes your last// let me die in this skin
By Joshua Effiong
Biography
Joshua Effiong [He] is a Nigerian writer and a lover of literature. His works has appeared in Eboquills, Kalahari Review & Shallow Tales Review. He is an author of a poetry chapbook Autopsy of Things Left Unnamed. When he is not writing, he is reading, watching movies and listening to music. An undergraduate of Science Laboratory Technology. He lives in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. And here he writes from. You can find him on Instagram @josh.effiong and twitter @JoshEffiong