my silence prays to god
of violence
& the sea sighs
beneath a ship.
the wreck that follows
is not a miracle;
the whale drowning in
its own home is.
home cannot save you
when an earthquake
finds you so attractive.
my heart longs for one
who wears my country
in its dark entirety.
every sunrise,
my country invites me
to a table where
I am the breakfast.
but I am gradually
becoming an uprising
in my lover’s tea mug
& I do not care
how this sail ends.

Oluwatobi Ezekiel Poroye is a Nigerian poet and ghostwriter. His poetry explores themes of grief, migration, motherhood, social justice, and nature. Published in Jalada Africa, Perhappened Mag, Agbowo and elsewhere, his work has also earned him nominations for Best of the Net and a shortlist spot for the NigerianNewsDirect Poetry Prize 2020. Oluwatobi is a co-editor at InkspiredNG. He tweets @yungprinzet.