The Fire

There was a fire once
how it burned!

how I surrendered to it
lusting for death
by a searing flame
like the fool I was willing to be

I was thirsty
I was hungry
too desirous to be respectable

warm blood filled my eyes
and if he as much as hinted
I would slay Isaac without a thought
and call it love, not murder

and now the scorched earth
and now the wasteland
and now a song I begin to hum
then forget, halfway
and now a scar,
black, in memoriam

this was holy ground, once
I swear to God, it was

published in Snapdragon Journal, Summer 2021

Ebele Mogo is drawn to interiority in her creative writing with short stories and poetry being some of her favorite mediums. She has been published in Jalada Africa, Kikwetu Journal & Cypress Press, and shortlisted for the Toyin Falola Prize.

The Fire

There was a fire once how it burned!

​

how I surrendered to it lusting for death by a searing flame like the fool I was willing to be

I was thirsty I was hungry too desirous to be respectable

warm blood filled my eyes and if he as much as hinted I would slay Isaac without a thought and call it love, not murder

​

and now the scorched earth and now the wasteland and now a song I begin to hum then forget, halfway and now a scar, black, in memoriam