Little boy, I want to tear off your smile and
Wear it on my face.

I fell on the back of broken men —their shoulders
carried the burden of suppressed emotions

The world felt like a cold place and, while I slept, I craved to
travel back in time to sunbeams.

When my father said, my sisters would one day pluck their eyes
and place them
In my palms, cast their hurdles into the gaping abyss of
my feet?
I sat next to God.

But one day, it crept up on me— the truth, and we strode
to an early grave where the tomb was grey.

Under a tree, I sat alone with tiny shreds of
myself,
dipped my hands into the soft tissues of my brain—they
stick like pap, then

to a cluster of memories where I see a little boy
weaving his body into the wind. A craft, that
makes his soul dance in the storm

After, he would fetch the rainbow into his pocket,
wear the meeting of stars on his face and pour joy
In my heart.

…

Annah Atane was born in Borno, Nigeria. She grew up in a small community in Maiduguri, where her parents are business owners.

She is a model, a fashion enthusiast, and a businesswoman. She holds a BSc in Animal Science from the University of Maiduguri, Borno State. Her writing has its roots in poetry, short stories, essays, and fiction. Her works have appeared in the brittle paper, Spill Words Press, itanilè, Kalahari review and elsewhere.