poem

by Obiageli A. Iloakasia

Hide & Seek

The brown raffia mat hides

my dead aunt’s nakedness 

from her window.

The doorknob dangles

music against her zinc-

patched wooden door.

Dawn blows sunlight

into her hut. 

The villagers sing, 

ridiculing her skinny body.

Their taunting tunes break

into her silent room. 

Their voices meet

emptiness.

---

Obiageli A. Iloakasia was born and raised in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. She is the recipient of the 2024 Creative Writing Award for Poetry at the University of Memphis. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Rumpus, The Lincoln Review, Bellingham Review, Soundings East, 3rd Wednesday, and elsewhere. Iloakasia was a former Senior Poetry Editor for Pinch and served as the Issue 24 Guest Poetry Editor for The Shallow Tales Review. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Memphis, Tennessee. Find her on IG and X: @obby_iloakasia.