Group Hug!
(I.)
One of those nights two of us walking back home so drunk
from a party, a slurred chorus rolling off our twisted tongues
as we rediscovered God. The laughter a wind roiling
as you pointed how strange how funny it was. How
did I not know it was the filter I was lighting up?
The dried tobacco must have flaked in my mouth at least.
How did I not know? Something is wrong with this cig I was
saying. Why is it not lighting? I showed you. We were so drunk
and the sky was an alien child’s strange wide many-eyed
colossus face. God’s we thought. It was night and the face was
watching us so of course we could see it. Those many eyes
that watch us that never stop watching even as the farther
watchgods switch places. Even as the cursed lovers that rarely
ever touch (day and night) beyond a liminal exchange
at the end of the shifts of their liege gods (moon and sun) flood
one the other full force equal in revenge because of all
they have endured keeping to themselves all that longing day long!
(Interlude)
We look up the twinkling face and it stretched the heavens.
We raise our hands to heaven Child we say your face is heaven.
(II.)
Squinted twinkling bright we saw those tiny eyes of childhood.
How ever would we not recognise it? We were so young
again so happy again so drunk the alcohol a new
love in our eyes a wonder a new joy in our mouths.
We wanted to say it just how it was. We wanted to say
we see you true god we hail you lonely child throwing tantrums.
Would you like a hug? It was the mood and it was the weather.
The night’s hand a cold palm warm in the core as it cupped us.
Curious. So wonder lost could return? it asked. I thought
you would never get it back. Embraced us the god. Pleased so so
pleased it was. Bewondered by the quick flush of our fleeting lives—
(Outro)
Us calloused new adults God was hugging us
and we were so drunk and it was all love.
Egbiameje Omole is a poet, performance artist, and editor, working from Ibadan, Nigeria. Egbiameje serves as a poetry acquiring editor at FIYAH. They’ve had their poems published in ANMLY, Body Fluids, Delicate Friend, New Culture, Eye to the Telescope, and elsewhere. They choose laughter.