grandpa told this tale at night
while we sat on his carpeted floor
my sister’s legs crossed on each other
my hands, a pillar of my jaw
and our eyes glued at his smudged grey beard.
so gothic a story that it came with hallucinations
and voices that sing a pore on bodies vulnerable to fear
about a mender of broken souls
who mended the souls of his two young lads with nails
— nails too long they perforated their palms against the wall
each boy crucified with hands ajar and head bowing to pains
and the blood of their sins gulping before their crucifier.
— and above their dying heads was an inscription: “reward for disobedience”
Kalu Amah is a poet, travel writer, guitarist and monologist. He lives in Enugu, Nigeria. His Travelogues are published in Rainbowtrek. His poems are published or are forthcoming in MahMag, Dreich Magazine. His drama monologues have been performed on TED stage; Dike Chukwumerije Night of Spoken word; Enugu, Aba, and Umuahia Literary festivals. https://www.instagram.com/sizaamah/ https://www.facebook.com/emmanuel.amah.