Israel Okonji

2022

At the courtroom she yelled, donʼt

think youʼre God, you fucking judge.

The judge wanted to flue-gas the sentence

of a man that filled the bronchioles of her

man with a

bulletʼs stench.

2018

At their court date, she detached a crabʼs tentacle

from its whole. After an ingredient Ifa chant,

she ducked its silence into a castle of a Coke bottle.

Her man called a dragonflyʼs silence out of the

tuft of the restaurantʼs grass with his fingers

& asked for two vodkas.

2020

At the courtyard, her bombazine,

lavender, was wind in a freezing form.

On that yard, she played Lágbájá.

The lawn on the yard, as green as Ireland.

On it, she tried scouring for her dream by tieing his

legs

to a running muleʼs hoof.

Now, when will this end?

2017

Where they first courted, a garden in Brazzaville,

in front of a taillight.

She knew her beauty had latitude, so, it started

from her sudden bun drop.

He undressed his long cigarettes quickly like they

were collect prayers. They took their first photograph.

The immortal night,

the sultry flowers.

Her smile was all my eyes could see.

2021

One night, she looked for

the voice of a tray.

Gravity couldn’t hold beans from falling.

The rush on the tray, she said,

was God shrinking her eyes.

I, / Darasimi / is wearing a black brocade:

my husband no longer wears his brown.

She held a note so taller

than Babel – a song escorting his fading brown.

In all her grieving, she bent her

face for assonance.

Inside the minivan, she opened smoke. She must

bury her dead. Driving around the Congo was

a madeleine tossing on the rearview mirror.

The judge had a voice. She wants to hear it.


Israel Okonji (He / Him) is a Southern Nigerian artist of poetry, storytelling & music. He is published @ Brittle Paper, Bruiser Magazine, Midsummer Magazine, Wasteland review — & forthcoming ones @ The Milton Review, Hiraeth Zine, & Querencia Pressʼ anthology. He listens to music ranging from Nas, the Wu-Tang Clan to Chris Brown, Alicia Keys. He hopes to fulfill his dream of collecting records like Craig Kallman. He has a special place for Brit actress Emma Watson & American singer / dancer Normani in his heart. He tweets @izrltrcz.