{"id":2006,"date":"2017-07-02T20:54:53","date_gmt":"2017-07-02T20:54:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/?p=2006"},"modified":"2017-07-02T22:01:10","modified_gmt":"2017-07-02T22:01:10","slug":"blazing-hot-issue-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/blazing-hot-issue-7\/","title":{"rendered":"BLAZING HOT (ISSUE 7)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad1\" id=\"quads-ad1\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n\n <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.1.7.8 Content AdSense async --> \n\n<script async data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\">\nvar quads_screen_width = document.body.clientWidth;\nif ( quads_screen_width >= 1140 ) {\r\n\/* desktop monitors *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}if ( quads_screen_width >= 1024  && quads_screen_width < 1140 ) {\r\n\/* tablet landscape *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}if ( quads_screen_width >= 768  && quads_screen_width < 1024 ) {\r\n\/* tablet portrait *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}if ( quads_screen_width < 768 ) {\r\n\/* phone *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}<\/script>\n\n <!-- end WP QUADS --> \n\n\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>BLAZING HOT (ISSUE 7)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>HOME IS AN OPEN DOOR by Chisom Okafor<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Nobody leaves <em>home<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Unless <em>home<\/em> is the mouth of a shark<\/p>\n<p>Warsan Shire.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We once sauntered into the night<\/p>\n<p>or rather, flew into it<\/p>\n<p>with the bats, like pilgrims advancing by faith<\/p>\n<p>never here, nor there, the way<\/p>\n<p>a bat is half mammalian and half non-mammalian<\/p>\n<p>the end-point was never part of the plan<\/p>\n<p>we simply moved, and the paths moved with us,<\/p>\n<p>leading us home, unfolding like<\/p>\n<p>tents approached from a distance.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>One time, we were refugees from Maiduguri,<\/p>\n<p>dashing away from rebels, and from forceful conscription,<\/p>\n<p>willing our fire to propel us<\/p>\n<p>away, like pilgrims, to the welcoming warmth of home.<\/p>\n<p>Another time, and we were in the West,<\/p>\n<p>innocent inhabitants shielding ourselves<\/p>\n<p>from menacing Russian Kalashnikovs of herdsmen<\/p>\n<p>who brandished bullet spitting metals for sticks<\/p>\n<p>and artillery for cattle.<\/p>\n<p>Or the casualties, letting the bullets tear into us<\/p>\n<p>(when we rose in defiance)<\/p>\n<p>Like stones slammed into a lake<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Yet another moment, and we were all these and more<\/p>\n<p>More being <em>home<\/em>, where love <em>is-<\/em><\/p>\n<p>a baby-eagle defying odds, to thrive.<\/p>\n<p>Putting up a spirited effort against the forces<\/p>\n<p>that breed hatred, and death. Because home is<\/p>\n<p>where the open door of love is, though it hangs<\/p>\n<p>loosely on its hinges.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Chisom-Okafor.png\"><img data-attachment-id=\"1259\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/blazing-hot\/chisom-okafor\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Chisom-Okafor.png?fit=598%2C526&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"598,526\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Chisom Okafor\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Chisom-Okafor.png?fit=300%2C264&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Chisom-Okafor.png?fit=598%2C526&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1259 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Chisom-Okafor-150x150.png?resize=150%2C150\" alt=\"Chisom Okafor\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Chisom-Okafor.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Chisom-Okafor.png?resize=350%2C350&amp;ssl=1 350w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Chisom-Okafor.png?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Chisom-Okafor.png?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Chisom Okafor<\/strong> studied Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His poem\u00a0came third in the 2016 edition of Nigerian Students Poetry Prize.<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p><strong><\/p>\n<p>MONOGRAPH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>by Ojo Taiye<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>there is always someone calling your name softly<br \/>\nat the skin of\u00a0midnight<\/p>\n<p>home<br \/>\ndistant folk songs<br \/>\nvane in the winds<\/p>\n<p>and your heart smokes warm<br \/>\nas tears tumble across<br \/>\nyour crusty cheek<\/p>\n<p>suddenly<br \/>\nyou see the distance from home<br \/>\nthe gurgling of familiar streams<br \/>\nthe clarity of sanguineous laughter<br \/>\nthe flowers painted brown by the dust of life<\/p>\n<p>thunder in their veins<br \/>\nlightening in their hair<\/p>\n<p>fathers who fought with the earth<br \/>\nmothers who smell of blood<\/p>\n<p>all of them fight for a space in the soil<br \/>\nwith their fingers, tongues and breasts<\/p>\n<p>all of them carry fire in their arms to burn<br \/>\nthe portrait of an underfed child living in their eyes<\/p>\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad2\" id=\"quads-ad2\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({\r\n    google_ad_client: \"ca-pub-5983616716487778\",\r\n    enable_page_level_ads: true\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/10887199_835369893176311_7764755153334158709_o.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"1290\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/crispy-satire-issue-4\/10887199_835369893176311_7764755153334158709_o\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/10887199_835369893176311_7764755153334158709_o.jpg?fit=683%2C849&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"683,849\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Ojo Taiye\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/10887199_835369893176311_7764755153334158709_o.jpg?fit=241%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/10887199_835369893176311_7764755153334158709_o.jpg?fit=683%2C849&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1290 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/10887199_835369893176311_7764755153334158709_o-150x150.jpg?resize=150%2C150\" alt=\"Ojo Taiye\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/10887199_835369893176311_7764755153334158709_o.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/10887199_835369893176311_7764755153334158709_o.jpg?resize=350%2C350&amp;ssl=1 350w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/10887199_835369893176311_7764755153334158709_o.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/10887199_835369893176311_7764755153334158709_o.jpg?zoom=3&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ojo Taiye<\/strong> is a young Nigerian who uses poetry as a handy tool to hide his frustration with the society.<\/p>\n<p><strong><\/p>\n<p>***<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>a poem eludes me<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong> by Olawale Ibiyemi<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I am stuck at the surface of my skull<\/p>\n<p>like a miner with a plastic digger<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I probe the alabaster box<\/p>\n<p>for her fragrance<\/p>\n<p>but her lips are sealed with the hymen of rebellion<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>the nose of my pen is bruised,<\/p>\n<p>her head, bashed against my Muse<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I did not know that the egg<\/p>\n<p>if thoroughly provoked<\/p>\n<p>will shatter a diamond stone<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>II<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I plod the path of sages<\/p>\n<p>reading the clouds to still the mind<\/p>\n<p>parting the seas to still the tides<\/p>\n<p>that rumble in the veins of all troubadours<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I walk, holding my shadow by the ears;<\/p>\n<p>so it does not stray from the path<\/p>\n<p>into the mouth of darkness<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I plod the path of sages<\/p>\n<p>searching for a poem<\/p>\n<p>to soothe the neck of Judas<\/p>\n<p>to douse the flames of Sodom:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ignorance, they say, is the greatest darkness<\/p>\n<p>threatening the redemption<\/p>\n<p>of the I<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>III<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When leaves fall, the mouth of the earth<\/p>\n<p>is wide open to incubate the carcasses<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>when poems ripen, they explode<\/p>\n<p>splattering the walls of the mind<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>but when we reach out<\/p>\n<p>to pluck these leaves for our healing<\/p>\n<p>pluck these poems for deliverance<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Tree stands on her toes, raising her shoulders<\/p>\n<p>hiding her boughs in the clouds<\/p>\n<p>-poisoning the rain-<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I will plod the path of sages<\/p>\n<p>digging the earth with bare hands:<\/p>\n<p>invoking every dead poem,<\/p>\n<p>sprouting new leaves.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Olawale-Ibiyemi.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"2035\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/spoken-waves-issue-7\/olawale-ibiyemi\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Olawale-Ibiyemi.jpg?fit=591%2C688&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"591,688\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Olawale Ibiyemi\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Olawale-Ibiyemi.jpg?fit=258%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Olawale-Ibiyemi.jpg?fit=591%2C688&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-2035 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Olawale-Ibiyemi-258x300.jpg?resize=258%2C300\" alt=\"Olawale Ibiyemi\" width=\"258\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Olawale-Ibiyemi.jpg?resize=258%2C300&amp;ssl=1 258w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Olawale-Ibiyemi.jpg?w=591&amp;ssl=1 591w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 258px) 100vw, 258px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>Olawale Ibiyemi<\/strong> is a young poet and student of Accounting at Babcock University, Nigeria. His poems have appeared in the anthology \u201cThese words will cure a dead man\u201d by Sprinng Literary Movement, 2016.\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad3\" id=\"quads-ad3\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({\r\n    google_ad_client: \"ca-pub-5983616716487778\",\r\n    enable_page_level_ads: true\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BLAZING HOT (ISSUE 7) HOME IS AN OPEN DOOR by Chisom Okafor &nbsp; Nobody leaves home Unless home is the mouth of a shark Warsan&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[21],"tags":[101,196,379,212,416,114],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1726,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/blazing-hot-issue-6\/","url_meta":{"origin":2006,"position":0},"title":"BLAZING HOT (ISSUE 6)","date":"January 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"BLAZING HOT (ISSUE 6) WHEN NIGHTS COME CRAWLING By Chisom Okafor \u00a0 Remember how you sent a coterie of ants racing, tingling against the slippery coldness of my insides, when you first touched the back of my shoulders and said, \u2018see how our night crawls like a toddler to its\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"Blazing Hot\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1312,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/pin-quarterly-journal-issue-4-editors-note\/","url_meta":{"origin":2006,"position":1},"title":"PIN QUARTERLY JOURNAL (ISSUE 4)","date":"July 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"PIN QUARTERLY JOURNAL (ISSUE 4) EDITOR'S NOTE The fourth issue of the PIN Quarterly Journal comes repackaged with assortments of poetic edibles traversing the beauty and inexhaustible richness of poetry. I state with sense of delight and appreciation that the number and quality of submissions received for this edition of\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"Across the Oceans\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1256,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/blazing-hot\/","url_meta":{"origin":2006,"position":2},"title":"BLAZING HOT (ISSUE 4)","date":"July 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Blazing Hot (Issue 4) \u00a0 THE SUN WILL RISE AGAIN by Noah Oladele Memories are journeys we come into beyond the walls of the mind - like Chibok, closing in, slowly, to an early embrace; \u00a0 an embrace that chokes into a fragile submission; for we are all travellers waiting\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"Blazing Hot\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2006"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2006"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2006\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2119,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2006\/revisions\/2119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}