by Jacelyn Yap
Building a Sanctuary for my Voice
I was the boy with light aching in his bones.
I am still trying to scrunch my name
between my body and myself.
I talk about falling in love
and my father looks at me
the way a person looks at a familiar scar.
The exit doors are gaping at me
but I am taking out the woods,
anointing its edges with litanies,
and building a sanctuary for my voice.
I have become a miracle
shaped between passion and misery.
I stare at the mirror and cringe
at how well my existence blurs the thin line
between glory and insanity.
Precious Chidera Harrison is a young Nigerian creative, born and raised in Port Harcourt. His poems have been published in Poemify Magazine, Hot Pot Magazine, Artslounge, NWF Journal and Brittle Paper.
Jacelyn Yap (she/her) recently started focusing on her art proper, having persevered through an engineering major and a short stint as a civil servant. Her artworks have appeared in adda, Chestnut Review, The Lumiere Review, Barren Magazine, and more. She can be found at https://jacelyn.myportfolio.com/ and on Instagram at @jacelyn.makes.stuff.