by Philip Chijioke Abonyi

God should not be looked for,
for he is omnipresent. this is to say that he lives inside us/ in the trees of the forest/ in the seas and the rivers/ among the birds. you can say everything he created. but sometimes we chase him out of some places 
we reach for him in our body 
and could not feel his presence. this is to say that sometimes, he leaves us. no. we chase him away, say faraway. how we chase God!
                            we begin by gifting our bodies to darkness/ by lifting our tongues into praises of sculptures/ by seeking salvation on the laps of a woman/ say becoming everything that doesn't gratify heaven/ God leaves for he doesn't dwell in a dark room.

you start stumbling when the candle
in your hands got blown off by 
the wind crawling from your lungs 
where darkness dwells/ this is to say that we will be trapped by dusk/ into the potholes of pains. till we decide to seek light again…
God is in us if we let him stay/ 
we are in him/ if we want to be there. 

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Philip Chijioke Abonyi was born at Nsukka in the Igbo region of the east state of Nigeria. He was educated at Government College (CSS) Ada Obollo Etiti and Anambra State Polytechnic. He has lived an active life uplifting modern African Literature. His poetry is noted for its artistry, descriptive power and the way in which he draws on his locality for imagery and ideas. He was shortlisted for Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize 2018. His work has appeared in African writer’s magazines like AceWorld, Eve Magazine, Qwenu, Allpoetry, Tushstories, spriNG, Praxis Magazine, Eboquill, Nantygreens, and elsewhere.