First Gong Vol. 8: Thrust FIRST GONG 8 THRUST | Page 108

EPISODE - Oluchi Obianuju Nwankwo
[1]a little ant crawled into my eye following
the tear trail from my cheek[2]I think it must be the sugar[3]when my Cho oyu
rises like
discontented lava, body demands, my sugar rises with it[4]so
the little ant is not lost [5]it will find the
magic of an eye ball and then it will die in the clasp of plasma and it will forget the
sugar that sent it there[6]I will explode in pain[7]Tell that to the ant when
it’s picked out of the eye[8]the lid with beads of sweat protects the ball from the
monsters waiting outside[9]high strung demons; shape shifters
who torture[10]superimposed on the unwilling psyche[11]they come alive
in my retina[12]they torture[13]so wood in
my mouth you begin to see the picture[14]me
disintegrating [15]in short bursts[16]like blood, thumping [17]out of a severed
artery
[18] crashing, rising and crashing again[19]There’s this
relief, I see it sparkle in the darkness[20]I can’t reach it[21]my hands are tied, joints
bound by rags[22]the pleasure trap[23]reaching
for substance in the thick[24]to maybe
pacify gravity[25]let the hurt not fall[26]let the fall not hurt
[27]and so it must be
[27]and so it must be[28]this
sweeping peace.
Oluchi Obianuju Nwankwo
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