Kelvin Ofeimu
A War in My Mother’s Body
My mother no longer holds flowers in her mouth,
because a boulder is stuck in her throat.
Pain leeches out the light in her body as chemotherapy
transforms into a carousel of microwaved nightmares,
where pigment of violence represses her supple skin,
turning it into a receptacle for brachytherapy needles.
Laryngeal cancer, the doctor limns it, & I wonder
how a plague unbidden into one’s body can name itself.
I watch my mother’s body knit like fallen molten lava
on the embers of a scorching earth crust.
Say a beautiful butterfly is writhing in hot charcoals.
I plant seeds of prayers in her frail body, water them with my tears,
& hope they bloom into flowers denied the chance to flourish
in the garden of her lips, the beautiful garden denied its rightful
place in her mouth.
Bio:
KELVIN OFEIMU is a Nigerian writer residing in Benin City. His works explore the complexities of identity, grief, family dynamics, mental health, abuse, and climate change. He is currently doing his first degree in Mass Communication at the University of Benin. His works have been published or forthcoming on Poemhunter, Nairaland, Onyokomita, Igbo Radio, UNIBEN Reporter, Ekehuan Watch and elsewhere. When he is not writing, he is reading, blogging or watching documentaries.
