by Deborah Ifeoma Nkemjika

I rent my garment in ash.
I lay down, rolling in dust.
Wiggling and wriggling,
Wailing and whining.

My heart writhes in pain
My veins strain with agony
I look but see not.
I reach but touch not.

What can wash away this guilt?
What can erase this pain?
I bleed my skin with needle.
I pull my hair in terror.

Gently and meekly,
He whispered;
“Fear not, for freely,
I give my beauty for your ashes.”

Deborah Ifeoma Nkemjika is a born writer who majors in essays, short stories, reviews, and poetry. She is a Christian, a varsity student studying English and Literary Studies in the faculty of Education. She currently lives in Nigeria.

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