Nigerian Poetry – Fevers of the Mind

New Poem: Mother by Ismail Yusuf Olumoh

Mother

I swear, I feel like empty my mother's 
throat to gain her trust. “Every person's 
destiny is scribble beneath their mother's 
feet like a trademark on a rock—hardly to
erase.” I heard my cleric breaking that Verse

& Hadith Rosul like a three sided Kola nut 
to my ears. The last time I offended mààmí, 
I quickly shoved my head onto her palms.
A quickest threshold to hell is to transgress 
ones parents. Fire does not play with flesh,

it preys on it.

My mother's tongue is an ink—painting
my future and thereafter. I am sure, she 
has a divine force in her mouth, because
everything she augured comes true. 
Is there a prettier metaphor than god?
It must be for her. I feel like rolling her 
on a paper, mold her to different form 

of poems.

In our school, we are only taught to be loyal 
to our progenitors. We are not told to offend 
them, because they are gods on there own.


Bio: 	Ismail Yusuf Olumoh is a Nigerian creative writer and teacher, a poet, a spoken word artiste, a graphics designer, a content creator, and a video editor.
	Ismail Yusuf Olumoh is a graduate of Imam Hamzat College of Education. His works are published and forthcoming in Arkorewrites, Williwash, World Planet Anthology, and Al-Mir'aatuh Magazine. He writes from Ilorin, Kwara State.
When he is not writing, he enjoys reading or cooking. 
You can also contact him on his SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:
 Instagram @icreatives0
Facebook: @Ismail Yusuf Olumoh

Book Recommendation: Written in Lagos by Abuh Monday Eneojo

Monday is a Nigerian poet, podcaster, teacher and blogger. Born in 1995, Ilorin, Nigeria. He expresses in words his thoughts in his poems which talks about things that affects him. Things like solitude, family, life, fame, love and a whole lot of other things that can affect a young adult male. His poems have been aired on national TV in his country, Nigeria.

Author of The World Within, Piary: Diary of a pensive poet, and Pieces of the confluence. Published in 2018 and 2020 respectively. He looks forward to sharing more of his anthologies and fiction in the future.

Links on Amazon:

Kindle Unlimited https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09P6NKWD1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

Paperback

Written In Lagos is a compilation of Short Stories by Abuh Monday Eneojo. It comprises of six stories that span from the writers imagination and experiences. The first story, Black Sheep, in the book exposes the tumultuous ordeals of humans who try to survive the excesses predominant in Lagos State, a State known for its myriad business opportunities. It also brings to light the after effects of the popular End SARS protest in Nigeria.

Enjoy Abuh Monday’s work in Fevers of the Mind at the links below:

Poems from Fevers of the Mind Anthologies by Abuh Monday Eneojo

the Fevers of the Mind General Interview with Abuh Monday Eneojo

Poetry from Salim Yakubu Akko

Grief as My Uncle

I've learnt how to speak in my motherland
as how a toddler learns how to walk
the language of grief

I was taught how to count
as how young poets reckon poetry lines
the colours of grief

grief is my mother tongue
the language I learnt from my childhood days
the best food I eat

and still, here I am
like a wingless bird
listening to its melodious songs

dear uncle grief
I've heard, learnt, ate &
felt you enough

remember, you once promised to me
if I write to you a poem
you'll leave my motherland & let us have another beginning

dear uncle grief
it's now a new year
& still, we're enjoying your sweet breakfast

for the promise you made to me
I wrote this poem for you
I beg you leave my motherland

dear uncle grief, remember
I am the shattered son
who worships for you

Another Beginning

Is when the scorching sun
Smiles at our broken hearts

It is the beginning that terrifies 
The tales that break our hopes

Like the drops of the drizzle
It comes with peace

Another beginning is when we open our teary eyes
Beholding a peaceful land


Bio: Salim Yakubu Akko is a Nigerian writer and poet. He has his works published/forthcoming in Applied Worldwide, World Voices Magazine, Trouvaille Review, Ice Lolly Review, ILA Magazine, Scratch Poetry Magazine, Upwrite Magazine and elsewhere. He has also been shortlisted for the 2021 Bill Ward Prize for Emerging Writers.

New poems from Fadairo Tesleem

A poem in which I mourn a friend

To the clarion call of death,
I know how reflexive you were,
If the dragon still lives,
The one that pronounced your death,
Let it film life & take it up,
So you'd see how your death -
watered every land with grief.

I passed through your grave after years,
& split at all that interlocked my sight:
The land you were tucked into,
I cursed death too,
The doctor that confirmed your death,
& the lorry that conveyed your body.

The mischievous yells of ours reached the crown,
He asked if death has done beyond -
taking a soul and we said yes,
He's parted a mother from his fruits/
A woman from her husband/
A wicked water has put off a fire in our family.

Holy words from the holy alter

Today, I opened the scripture and it
journeyed my eyes to where our Lord says;
"Someday, none of Man's assets
shall be of benefit to man plus his wife/
Children/ all he had/ all that makes man a man.
"& man would on this day flee from all he owns/
His siblings/ from all things, owned and discarded/

So, there would ever be a day I would -
see my siblings and scream at my heels,
Sight the emergence of my children
& run as prey would from predators,
& that there's ever going to be a black-
day my parents will listen not to my yells.

I'd once shared bed with a ghost

The last time i attended the funeral
of a young lad, whose age's same as mine.
I couldn't in his grave find a log of body,
But a condensed cloud of unfulfilled dreams.
I ne'er believed heaven is a place
for black-haired men too,
Till the night my brother and I said
the Lord's prayer with our hands interlocked,
& when morning knocked, I met his statue beside me,
Except that since then we haven't seen each other,
The rest, I couldn't fathom, till now !
Mum said he is dead and Dad said the same.

visited an orphanage home

They rushed at me and said,
Tell us uncle,please tell us,
The joy of being owned,
Tell us what's a home?

I raised my brow to the sky,
But its place was too high,
So,I held the details in a sigh.

The truth of a home is the -
suicide note a frustrated father left
behind after exceeding his debit limits.
& a mother that sold her son to feed
his siblings and abandoned him to
the tartness of his sour fate.

I wrapped all these in a sigh &
said--Home is sweet.

Tell us more uncle,
What's parental care? What's a hug?
What's mother's warmth embrace &
What's father's soothing words?

I breathe heavily this time & said,
They are the most pleasurable things.

"Take us home uncle"
ion have a home too-i replied.
I'm an orphan too,
We're all orphans, picturing -
what is it to own a home.

Bio: Fadairo Tesleem is a young Nigerian poet that writes from Ilorin, Kwara state. He is a teacher, a poetry coach and a literary critic.
His poems are published or forthcoming in Fiery scribe review, Pangolin review, Queer Toronto literary magazine literary, Arts lounge, Best of Africa, Blue Minaret, Down in the dirt Ninshãr arts and the host of others. He has some poems published to his honour on some self-publishing literary platforms.
He tweets @Olakunle.

Poem “A Song For You” by Abdulmueed Balogun in Fevers of the Mind Press Presents the Poets of 2020

A Song For You

Tonight, wither the leaves of
grief from the thistle of your
mind.

Tonight,
loosen the chain of sorrow
fettering your legs from
treading places of desire.

Tonight, shatter the
velvet of forlorn adorning
your body as eldewiss
embellish the face of gardens.

Tonight, embrace the beautiful
you, you've always been spurning
like odious things

Tonight, listen to this balmy song I compose for you,
tonight, let my melody dissolve into a tomb;
your grievances.



BIO: 

Abdulmueed Balogun is a Nigerian poet & a second year student at the University of Ibadan, studying Biomedical Laboratory Science. He is a 2021 HUES Foundation Scholar & edits poetry for The Global Youth Review. He was longlisted for the 2021 Erbacce Prize, finished as a Finalist in the 2021 Wingless Dreamer Book of Black Poetry Contest, and won the 2021 Annual Kreative Diadem Poetry Contest. Find his work in: Decolonial Passage, Watershed Review, The Westchester Review, Short Vine, Subnivean Magazine, Soundings East Magazine, ROOM, Jmww Journal, Night Heron Barks Review, Bowery Gothic, Avalon Literary Review and elsewhere. He loves you deeply and you know it. He tweets from: AbdmueedA