A Land Slipping into Evanescence by Taofeek Ayeyemi (Lucent Dreaming Issue 7)

This land has long been
shrouded in white sheets
stained with blood leaking from various 
cuts scribbled on her skin

by jackals’ teeth and hyenas’ paws.
Every effort to take her
to the grave dissolves like 
salt slipped into water;

for scavengers are here
throwing their talons and beaks
into her skin, breaking her,
bone by bone,

haunting and hunting everyone
trying to rescue her remains.
This land is a clot of spilled blood 
and everyone has his fingers

reeking of redness.
This time yesterday,
a dying sheep bleated promises – 
shaking the pillars

and poles of this land, 
painted this land as a
portrait of greenness,
Today, the only thing that goes green

is his vigour:
our spring is no less an autumn
followed by a winter burst.
Today, this sheep opens his mouth

and all we see is a network 
of jackal’s teeth.
This land is a pond
of grieved fishes,

a bigger grief is eating us 
and when nothing is left to eat,
we hope it shall eat up itself 
into the barest nothingness.

Browse issue 7 in full.

Lucent Dreaming is an independent creative writing magazine publishing beautiful, imaginative and surreal short stories, poetry and artwork from emerging authors and artists worldwide. Our aim is to encourage creativity and to help writers reach publication! Subscribe to Lucent Dreaming now, support us on Patreon and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.