once the last air raid ended
we gathered ourselves, looked left
then entered the main road —
the sun splicing heat into our skin.
an old bus, like a rusty metal lunchbox,
appeared, puttering at the speed of anguish.
no passengers.
from a distance, our march could have been
mistaken for a bloated centipede — sluggish,
out of place. we barreled along outwitting bombs
ordained for stationary targets. Move.
Any- some- where. jump on, stagger off.
the sun will still chase us into our graves.
Published in Cider Press Review, Volume 21, Issue 1.
.chisaraokwu. is a Nigerian American poet, performance artist & healthcare futurist. Her creative works have appeared or are forthcoming in Tinderbox Poetry Journal, Obsidian, Page & Spine, the Urban Cusp and other literary and academic journals. She is passionate about addressing religious-based & gender-based trauma through the arts and loves musical theater. Conversant in three languages, she splits her time between southern Italy and southern California.See all items about .chisaraokwu.