Tabernacle of Longing”
tabernacle of longing
the music bears me to you country of cowry shells.
house of saxophones, room of dancing shekere. small
ghosts making mimosa in the sax’s lungs, the boy’s
translucent tooth clinking in the agogo, purple dick
in the konga’s chest. an empty snail shell too. I hear the beat
in my chest. long lost lover, yesterday’s dandelion in my hair
do you hear it? wither the willow makes her tent, wither
the golden butterfly. I still love those legs. I want to go on
dreaming— girl with the wolf-rose tattoo dancing
in shaded light, I want to dance with you. again.
I feast on the blood of the wolf. the wolf becomes me
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Ernest O. Ògúnyẹmí is a writer and editor from Nigeria. His works have recently appeared/ are forthcoming in AGNI, Joyland, No Tokens, Agbowó, Southern Humanities Review, the Minnesota Review, the McNeese Review, West Trade Review, among other places. He is a staff writer at Open Country Mag.