somehow / yet to unravel the persistent spine of mould.
it’s tapestry of food, medicine, poison / always with some suspicion.
in the taxonomy of growing things / decay can also mean logical conclusion
/ inchoate / substrate of compost, misting.
how to keep from slipping off the spill shots of a season’s coil?
proliferate / mushroom from what must go on
/ phyla fungi / little catastrophes of rot. refugia.
because even in the absence of light, there is still so much life can / gift
the dank its own reason
/ mulch /what did not take from before.
whatever flowers, name it survival / beauty
and ruin we could subsist on and thrive.
—
Jakky Bankong-Obi writes from Abuja, Nigeria. Her poems have been featured in London Grip, The Kalahari Review, Cephalo Press, Amberflorazine, Zarf Poetry, Gutter Magazine, Memento; An Anthology of Contemporary Nigerian Poetry and others. Jakky enjoys long walks, yoga and dabbling in nature photography. Jakky is on Twitter as @jakkybeefive.
Artwork by: Dias
