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STAYING SAFE AS A LOVE LANGUAGE (a poem by Emmanuel Udoma)

Read Time:3 Minute, 5 Second
          The world
          stands statue-still,
              and men, locked away in their
                 cocoons, have listened to its eloquent
                    silence. We have retreated to our fortress against
                       this unseen enemy, where we measure laughter in small doses.
                    No one would have conceived, handshakes and hugs could be death
                  warrants, and war can be fought without weapons. We've
               searched our hearts for                     smoulder friends left
                    behind. We've reignited                    our passions. We under-
               stand keeping distance                    whispers: "I love you"
              more than kisses and                      cuddles, because it
                means staying safe for                    those we love. Though
              the war wages on, we're                   hopeful, like dormant
              seeds in the dry season soil awaiting the first rain, these
               dark days will
                        be over, and
                       our lives restored.


Emmanuel Udoma is a medical student with an interest in creative writing. Whenever he’s not flipping through the pages of medical textbooks, he finds himself introspecting on new ideas for his poems or short stories. He was a joint winner for the 2019 edition of Memoirs of Nigerian University Students (MONUS), and was shortlisted for the Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize 2018. He has been published in some literary platforms and anthologies including ANA Review 2018, Mixed History (NSPP 2017), Citadel of Words (BPPC 2018), MONUS Anthology 2.0, Naija book of Diabetes Stories, etc.

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