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Haneefah Bello

The man

We found him in an embrace
with the ceiling,
body bent that way like a mutiny.
 
All is fair in love and war.
All was fair
 
when he washed ashore as a
seashell
bearing lacerations of a former
salty life.
A Jonah, whole again.
 
Inhaled enough seaweed in his gills
to buoy him into the sun.
That skin, until it caught fire
& all that was left was anthracite
stillness.
 
His body bleeds the sound of
fossils singing a dirge,
faint applause, tongue leaking
saltwater.
 
Cut him down, hush. Now,
a prayer.
Pay close attention to our lips
stumbling across overgrown
pikes.
We sound like dogs dying a blue death.

Commentary

Haneefah on "The man":

I've always questioned how we, human beings, react to issues regarding suicide and depression when we're not the ones experiencing it. This poem, too is a question. In it, I have tried to be a witness, recording our typical reaction to suicide; we're sad it happened, we say a prayer for his dear soul, but we wonder what went wrong when we've been the ones ignoring or justifying his depression and all the signs all along. But what has happened has happened, so all our wondering and finger-biting is pointless.

Biography

Picture
​Haneefah Bello (she/her) is a Nigerian poet who is currently obtaining a degree in law. Her works have appeared in Nantygreens, Ripostes of Locked Down Voices anthology and Praxis Magazine. She is @HaneefahBello on Twitter and @ha_neefahh on Instagram
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ISSN 2639-426X
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  • Home
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  • Issues
    • Issue 49
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    • Issue 46
    • Issue 45
    • Issue 44
    • Issue 43
    • Issue 42
    • Issue 41
    • Issue 40
    • Issue 39
    • Issue 38
    • Issue 37
    • Issue 36
    • Issue 35
    • Issue 34
    • Issue 33
    • Issue 32
    • Issue 31
    • Issue 30
    • Issue 29
    • Issue 28
    • Issue 27
    • Issue 26
    • Issue 25
    • Issue 24
    • Issue 23
    • Issue 22
    • Issue 21
    • Issue 20
    • Issue 19
    • Issue 18
    • Serenity
    • Issue 17
    • The Audio Room
    • Issue 16
    • Issue 15
    • Issue 14
    • Play It Again
    • Issue 13
    • Issue 12
    • Issue 11
    • Issue 10
    • Issue 9
    • Issue 8
    • Issue 7
    • Issue 6
    • Hand to Mouth
    • Issue 5
    • Issue 4
    • Issue 3
    • Issue 2
    • Issue 1
  • Submissions