STASIS

two poems by Akachi Obijiaku

Stasis: The State of Being Static

I don’t remember what day it is

I have no recollection if it is day or night

No movement – no progress

No growth – no excitement

I’m forgetting my name

My brothers call me out and I look left and right for the stranger

The intricacies of my penmanship elude me

I feel no sense of purpose as I strain the air with each breath

My existence now steadily baffles me

Jumps out of the blue and repeats that dynamism is all but a dream

I have stalled, and hope too

But each daybreak I console myself that stasis is more peaceful than constant hustle

No movement – no progress

No growth – no excitement

The Metadata of My Soul

If you trace the fine prints steadfastly enough,

you will discover the intricacies of my anxiety

That my metadata is a construct of you and everyone around me

That your wickedness hardens me and I am not resilient enough

You will learn why I laugh at death

When you try to comprehend who I really am

It will hit you like a ton of bricks that you cannot –

Because even I know what I am not,

But not what I am.

Akachi Obijiaku

Akachi Obijiaku is a new Nigerian poet. She started writing poetry in 2017, and her works appear in over 10 literary journals. She emigrated to England four years ago, and holds an MSc from King's College London.