in the market square
where the bandits opened fire
you took one of the grenades
into safety
in your mouth
& you outran your legs
you got home
trembling
your mother
asked what happened
but you chewed on silence
because your mouth is a slaughterhouse
and everything it touches
becomes the lamb.
Adamu Yahuza Abdullahi, THE PLOB, TPC V, is a poet and visual artist from Borgu, Nigeria. His debut poetry collection, The Rainbow Is Not as Beautiful as My Ruins, is forthcoming from Felis Catus Press.
