Ten things that come with loving you. Dear lover, When I tell you about the ghost that lives inside my body, About depression being a steep side you cannot see, this is the part of my story where everybody Runs!!! 1 Your lonely is the kind of lonely I aspire to be. […]
“Spirit Things” by Victoria Naa Takia Nunoo
This is not your scent. This is not how earth recognizes you. This is not how the air carries you in. This is not your body. You’re moving like a timid ghost that is unsure of its abilities to pass through things and so is treading lightly, full of fear of everything around – the […]
Three Poems by Ajise Vincent
playing God at a juncture in this pilgrimage of life came a light, lucent, yet artificial, passing through the prism of storms to birth magic — the eighth wonder of cosmetics, of kingfisher size wigs, from the twitching of orchards all a ploy shrouded in the passage of omens designed to prevent our metamorphosis to […]
“Mourning” by Daisy Odey
in the gut of a river I find undigested remains where my brother trailed off like a sentence led towards an uncertain future by ellipsis. this body holds wood and steel as lover yet evicts a boy after drinking his soul. as though saying “only earth gives life by feeding on dead things “ there […]
“Deadbeat Dad” by Sanya Osha
The common narrative is that the number of deadbeat daddies in South Africa is frighteningly on the rise. In communities everywhere, there are numerous single mothers battling to raise children with little or no support from fathers. This is the scenario being painted luridly in the media, TV talk shows and word on the streets. […]
“Earthen Sustenance” by Mallory Anyango Dunkley
-For Ayiti- I sit within the confines of tin walls, combatting an unrelenting wretchedness refusing to lighten its grip. Hollowed tummies of innocence stare up at me, crying with echoes of the ancients. I feel the weight of Jean’s absence, his cowardly departure. Gleaming coins become a momentous treasure afloat wells of water tormenting my […]
“University College Hospital” by Aito Osemegbe Joseph
Osarugue, quit whining. Bring your husband and we will rewire him. Rather than call him a cheat, label him promiscuous, or paint him as a terrible person, simply say he is polyamorous or sexually polygamous. That sounds fairer. Whining will not stop him from dipping his penis in all available vaginas; that is the work […]
Afridiaspora’s June Book of The Month: Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
Adebayo’s Stay With Me is a delightful read. I liked how the chapters arrayed the many puzzles in the narrative as the story intensified with time. The writer wove time like it were fabric, as language was also used in a manner only known with good storytellers. Of the many things which stood out for […]
‘Intelligence’ A Short Story by Mwinji Siame
The commander greets me at the door with a kiss on the cheek and a rub of the shoulder before ushering me to the lounge. I smile cautiously, waiting for the something commanding to rip through his tidal of warmth. “Ah Bwana,” he called playfully. “Some tea for the comrade,” he continued. A sturdy young […]
“An Extrapolation of Four Names” by Moyosore Orimoloye
Ikulamberu It is death we fear- That makes us write wills So early So frequently. He’s 16 and will give his all to Ibukun At 18, a nameless stripper. Ikuforijimi Death, forgive me- For making jokes about you being The elder brother of sleep- Sleep is where dreams live. You kill dreams. You and sleep […]