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Obsidian Psalms of the Lost Voice
There is a silence into which the world cannot intrude
—Rumi
darkness, you see, is a lost nuance at night, in deep shadows, you spot ancient edicts, a voice, a lost voice calls out, whirring and faithless, beyond clicking Hades’ gate, but the voice comes no closer, you swallow the chilly air into your lungs and remember the lord’s prayer, you grip the slice of faith and walk through an unhaunted tomb & follow its echoes, the only tomb in this forgotten place that truly welcomed you with open arms. you walk into the heart of death, vast with an obsidian art reaching high into the artificial sky, deception tells you, believe it as a godhood, you wonder if salvation is silence & why it crouches beneath dust? but words are close like whispers. you see a pulpit carved to bring a speaker’s intimacy to scattered mortals— you see nothing from the past, just the madness we pursue. the made-sky stands above you both, the sole witness to a drama in one of so many of its creators’ miracles, turned toward the dirt, sermons finds an impassive ground. your breath feels light as it always has, lighter. you step close, hunting for something more. anything other than stillness and sand. you pray with closed eyes, some part inside wonders if salvation will reach out, save you, and reward this journey.
Contributor’s Bio:
Aeesha Abdullahi Alhaji is a Nigerian writer and poet. Her works are featured or forthcoming in Chiron Review, Rio Grande Review, Deep Overstock Magazine, Crank Magazine, The Blue Minaret Journal, ParABnormal Magazine, The AprilCentaur, The Beatnik Cowboy, and elsewhere. She’s a fellow of the Ebedi International Writers’ Residency. She tweets on Instagram @aeeshaabdullahialhaji and can be reached through this email address abdullahiaeeshaalhaji@gmail.com
