Dark Years

By Al Amin Muhammad

Gloss black paints my 
                     body at the fissure 
                                                  of entering. 

My suffering is a scar 
                          birthed into a story. 
                                             I tell God I swallow 

him so i could be called 
                           god by virtue of bearings 
                                             in the loop of everything.

Ameen said sometimes 
                     suffering is just suffering. 
                                               I say likewise is pain. 

My ribs did not crack each 
                           morning with ache 
                                                   it grinds into dust. 

I smell where my mother licks 
                      to submit herself to man 
                               like my father. It smells like a spell. 

If by virtue of forgiving & 
                             patience one could be God. 
                                                          Mother is god.

BIO:
Al Amin Muhammad is a young Nigerian poet, photographer, and spoken word artist residing in Minna, the capital city of Niger state. His poetry collection “Sand Album” won the 2025 Nigerian prize for teen authors. His work was shortlisted for the 4th African Teen Writers Award; others have been published or are forthcoming After Happy Hour Review, MAAR Review, Arewa Poetry Review, Afrocritik magazine, and African Writer Magazine.