Daniel Aôndona
Untitled Poem about Cycles of Existence
there were children who forgot to count time
& wisemen who did nothing but
rub history into their chests like balm.
we were taught the beginning
was when someone wrote it down.
but it was before that.
before eden.
before darkness started to cloud our hearts.
before the sun refused to rise.
children like us weren’t born during the flood
but we’ve lived through the drowning
where everything is tagged emergency.
i swear, noah’s ark has left us behind
& perdition becomes the only language
because someone somewhere
thought they could own god.
now the future comes without promise,
only headlines.
only names scribbled into varnishing walls.
someone kindles a candle in a crater
& someone else names it prophecy.
believe, what ends is not always the end.
a girl still sings while braiding her mother’s hair.
a man still carries his father’s shoes
to the refugee camp.
someone’s love survives the ruins.
& that is not the end.
& that is not the beginning.
just something that wears the face
of humanity.
Bio:
DANIEL AÔNDONA is a passionate lover of arts and culture. A versatile, award-winning writer who hails from Benue State, Nigeria. Based in Abuja, Daniel is a member of the Hilltop Creative Arts Foundation, an alumnus of Sprinng Writers Fellowship, a feature editor at Pawners Paper Magazine, Editor-in-chief of Words-Empire Magazine, and a multifaceted creative—spanning roles as a spoken word artist, essayist, short story writer, reviewer, poet, and literary editor. His works have been featured on notable journals such as: Paper Lanterns, Brittle Paper, The Muse Journal, Words Rhymes & Rhythms, among others within and outside Nigeria. Beyond writing, Daniel is an enthusiast of Literature-in-English and spends much of his time engaging in various creative pursuits. You can connect with him on social media: FB: Daniel Aôndona, IG: @aondonadaniel.30, X: @aondonadaniel30.
