Graffiti

By Damilola Omotoyinbo

here, a man sail storms with a paddle carved out
of his fear. a heart mourns the loss of bliss. a mind

empties itself of its memories. a woman traces
the map. to a home that won’t spit her

into a volcano. in this poem, wails only tumble back as echoes. shattered sculptures settling at

the feet of wailers. like a precious ornament
a gaoler lobs the key of the gaol. can you give this

strangeness a name? this gloom with gripping phangs. when what you fear begins to nibble on

your peace. when you get scorched by the harsh realities of life. when this madness becomes

a snag. & your memories gather into a web trapping you in yesterday. unearth peace from the

swelling heap of chaos. & wear it like a ribbon on your flailing heart. salvation is a girl searching for

home in her fitful soul. is this not the act of subliming? a seed sprouting into a tree. a fruit

falling to become a seed. the graffiti on the wall tell the stories of men who choose to undo their pains.

BIO:

Damilola Omotoyinbo (Frontier XIX) won the 2021 SprinNG poetry contest. She is a fellow of the Ebedi International Writers Residency and an alumnus of the SprinNG Writing Fellowship.
Damilola reads for Lerims and has work published/forthcoming at Brittle paper, Agbowó, Afritondo, Kalahari Review, Konya Shamsrumi, The Nigerian Tribune Newspaper, Nantygreens etc. She is Damilola Omotoyinbo on Facebook and Instagram.