At the Family Lunch, My Uncle from Egypt Says “You’ve Gained Weight” – Sarah Yanni
I have the exact body of my egyptian father,
& his mother & his mother’s
brothers, a round belly & broad shoulders
which will someday disappear
My Father Plays Five Instruments – Sarah Yanni
he sang to me all childhood
composing tender songs
eluding one dream for another
in the immigrant way, loyalty
exceeding a drumbeat
all so I could be benevolent
Ìbàdàn – Damilola Omotoyinbo
amidst the seamless blend
of Sángo, houses with smelly
gutters cluster like beehives. here,
street children stomp their feet
with hysterical laughter. slowly,
Mókólá opens up its mouth
Longing to Suffer – Jerry K. Ayodele
I want nothing more than this
eyes like mine have failed
to present a more arresting glance than yours
so I must be forgiven for these forbidden wants
Dedication – Manthipe Moila
you wonder at this world where
blackness in girl form is a round
and rotating emptiness
that one can hold in a disappearing hand.
A Balancing Act – Isaac Parbey
Yet if I were to tell this story of a boy
who has never known a home,
about the nights he has tried to snuff his life,
what difference would it make?
Portrait of Disjointed Parts – Goodnews Karibo
these days, I walk
out into the fields, I give in to
the red light of the perpendicular
moon on my skin, I let the gauntlet
down, then the open threads of sobriety
The Roost – Goodnews Karibo
you move through the cords,
naming each loop by the glimmer
of its elbow. you fondle the two
sides of the world, which are
hope and disaster. a bird suspended
by the whip of the universe.
Lehare La Pelo Ya Ka – Katleho Kano Shoro
I am finally
building you a sheathe. come rest
under my tongue easy
after days of chiselling
breath into swords and freedom
Sejo Sa Ledimo – Katleho Kano Shoro
I’ve never met anyone who didn’t
at least once
collaborate with her demons
to master cooking her own wounds
momentarily
revel in hosting a banquet
with peckish wolves
Damn the Prayers of Permanency – Amina Akinola Bamidele
my body harbours the doom of growth
not me. I hold my little laughter
fondly. in the beauty of the night, I wrap
around my man, he calls me sugar
How Have You Become New? – Mariam Hassan
I am learning there are
many things we are afraid
to ask about like
why things happen to us,
why things change
so we find ourselves
in search for freedom
