I enter this forest with immolation
               whatever touches me become ashes or

                                               loses a layer of itself. I am not the bad

                guy. I just want to see the sun of her
eyes again. the distance to your heart

                                                      is a mountain & my limbs are obliged.

all love stories are like birds set free.
                they start with joy kiting into the sky.

                                                  & end up as stars, featherless, but

                beautiful in memory. every star looks
bright until it’s forgotten. I start with

                                                      the trees. eat up their leaves & flowers.

because I want you to be the only thing
                that glitters in this forest. remember

                                                  the fireflies. how we gathered them

                  into a transparent glass, because we
wanted to be immune to darkness. we

                                                           wanted to create our own night &

thrive in it. in the game of love, every
                   promise is an arrow meant to pierce you.

                                           & on the night of our apocalypse, darkness

                   opened up its mouth like a macrophage
phagocytizing bacteria & swallowed

                                                       us. but I still love you. I am scissoring

the veils of night & shearing the
                  garden of day. I hear your heartbeat

                                                at the end of the tunnels. remember
                  the fireflies. keep your lights on. I’m
coming. I’m the fire raiding the woods—

© 2025 Gospel Chinedu