Just In Case God Forgot Your Name

October 24, 2022

remember there’s a field on fire, and that your brother 

is not safe where you’ve left him before coming to this

 

mountain to offer orison. the stories always began with

once upon a time. but, the time is here. it never passed.

 

never folded with the night. you’re looking for a 

way to fit into the blessed hour. just in case your tongue 

 

has forgotten the gold in  amen, remember that the cocks

pray to God every morning. now, you stare into the sun

 

without purpose. you, who used to carve hope out of it, 

walk into its light, and trace your way around the globe. but, 

 

now, hope is a fire that longs for more of your body

to stay alive. there’s a kid begging to be the sentence after 

 

every punctuation in this poem.  these berries in your 

mouth —i know they are boys you wish you had longer 

 

than the summer. just in case your brother was in the 

flames, pray. ask God to remember your name. look into 

 

the sun & follow until you find him —skin and not ashes.

 

Chinedu GospelChinedu Gospel, frontier IV, is an emerging Nigerian poet. He studies Anatomy in Nnamdi Azikwe University. He finds pleasure in exploring diversified themes amongst which are healing, hope, grief, loss, resilience, political mayhem… He won the StarLit Award for the 2021 winter issue of Aster Lit. He also won an Honorable mention in the Kreative Diadem Annual Contest (poetry category). Some of his works have appeared or forthcoming in Fiyah magazine, Hoax magazine, AsterLit, Roadrunner Review, Savant Garde, Temz review, Roughcut Press, Icefloe Press, Agbowo arts & elsewhere. He plays chess in his leisure. While he tweets @gonspoetry & grams @gospelsofpoetry.

Featured Image by Daoudi Aissa on Unsplash

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