Portrait of Love & Catfish
by Chukwuebuka Onyishi Freedom
Beyond these dark walls, lizards bow
to sunglass Moons & wonder.
like starship
troopers searching for their missing
loved ones, canoeing
into dead seas. in my dreams—
I walk into a lagoon
to chase stagnant rivers;
The way purity sings with god’s own
house of moonglows: in specters
of great surrender. unravel me to the point of startling dangerous breakthroughs. I, a prodigal portrait of love & catfish— desires to live again papa.
Onyishi Chukwuebuka Freedom
Onyishi Chukwuebuka Freedom (he/him), is of Igbo descent and a graduate of English and Literary Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is a poet, essayist, music enthusiast, and Publicity Secretary of Muse (no. 51). His works have appeared in or are forthcoming from, amongst other places, The Eye To The Telescope: (non)binaries, The Port Harcourt Literary Review, Wherein The World Magazine, The Biochar Magazine, The Nine Muses Review, Poets in Nigeria Initiative, EveryBody Magazine, The Muse Journal, 2025 Hidden Peek Press artist spotlight, Winner PIN’s Yearly Anthology Best Poet for March 2024.