by Reed Sherbrooke
Forgive My Dearth of Quietude
Instead of dreaming, I translate my whirling worries
into a standstill; eyes closed, body tendering silence.
The night registers my intermittent awakening,
on days when my mind depletes quietude.
Creaking fan, wintry chill, spilling moonlight;
they conduct a fellowship in my room.
Pardon me if I mistake the scratching in my wall
for the feasting of monsters, or the meowing at night
for a gathering of witches. This body knows no
other creed than the dissonant worrying.
Praise Osawaru is a Nigerian writer, (performance) poet, and an undergrad at the University of Benin. He is mostly fascinated by things atypical and/or containing speculative elements, but also dabbles in realism. His works have appeared or are forthcoming in African Writer, Afritondo, Analogies & Allegories Literary Magazine, EroGospel, Green Black Tales, Kalahari Review, Perhappened Mag, Praxis Magazine, Serotonin, and elsewhere. He was longlisted for the African Writers Award 2019, shortlisted in the Kreative Diadem Writing Contest 2019, and recently longlisted for Babishai Haiku Award 2020. You can find him on Twitter: @wordsmithpraise.
Reed Sherbrooke is a nonbinary writer, artist, and compulsive experimenter living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can keep up with and connect with her on instagram @lifeuhfindsaway or you can just go look at the clouds for a while. You are the best judge of your own needs.