Chiboy
By Abu Ibrahim
Written in loving memory of Kevin Chiedu Oduah
(my best friend) who has refused to die
Almost two years later, I summoned courage to visit your parents. No one told us, death
cultivates an edgy distance between the living. I stayed away to numb the ache of stinging
memories. There is pain the mind can’t bury. At your parents’, we sit solemnly. Soberness is
a hurricane still twirling in the house. Every attempt at smiling reveals their faces are still
creased from mourning. Tears still sparkle like stardust in their eyes—each bead an open wound.
Memories of you flowed from our lips. We struggled with tenses—death isn’t the end of
living. Losing a loved one is like losing someone that makes you whole, and all that’s left is a
hollow place for sorrow. When a parent buries a child, the ghost haunts for a lifetime. When it
was time to leave, we held hands in a circle & tried to launder our grief by washing it in hymns &
prayers.
Abu Ibrahim (IB) is a Nigerian poet & spoken word artist. His debut poetry album “Music Has Failed Us” was considered for a Grammy nomination in 2022, and his work has been published widely. He has performed at Pa Gya Literary Festival, the Lagos International Poetry Festival, Lagos Book & Art Festival, & more. IB is the 2024 Augur’s Annual Micro-Fiction contest winner, the winner of the Ink Sweat & Tears Pick of the Month for July 2024, the 2024 Poetry Journal Prize winner, and the winner of the 2023 Port Harcourt Poetry Festival Poetry/Spoken Word Album of the Year. Learn more on his website.
Artwork Source: “The Boats Never Return” by Vidya Murali
Artist Statement: I love cutting up shapes in paper and creating pictures. I start with just a broad idea and let the work create itself. My work generally reflects my current state of mind. It could be happy, thoughtful, or silly !
Vidya Murali is Female, 70 yrs old, art and craft are favourite hobbies. Next to reading and travel. I live in Bengaluru, India. Learn more on her travel blog.
The Turning Leaf Journal 