what moves now, lord?
by tosin gbogi
what does the sea bring back to me now
what does it wash ashore in its nude song of crossing
and what floats on its frothing face, butterflying with the tide . . .
the light of the lighthouse is now gone
and only the white of water casts its shadow
on what moves – a body and a body of darkness . . .
on occasion, the sea whistles
and at other times, it sings:
ìwọ lo mọ̀ ta ló rán ẹ wá . . .
forgive me, lord, if i ask the impossible:
but these bodies that go
where do they go when they die?
BIO:
tosin gbogi is Assistant Professor of English and Africana Studies at Marquette University,
Milwaukee. He is the author of the poetry collections the tongues of a shattered s-k-y
(Blackgraphics, 2012) and locomotifs and other songs (Noirledge, 2018).
