The water remained blue across centuries of swallowing.
Because it is not a cemetery, it does not date its memories.
On the sky is a diary that cataloged eyes lost to the sea.
In the language of a gong, water clashes against the rocks,
Already have an account? Log in
Join KR for even more to read.
Or become a subscriber today and get complete, immediate access to our digital archives at every subscription level.
Hussain Ahmed is the author of Soliloquy with the Ghosts in Nile (Black Ocean Press, 2022) and Blue Exodus (Orison Books, 2024). He won the 2024 Gulf Coast Poetry Prize and the 2024 Black Warrior Review Poetry Contest. Ahmed’s poems have been featured in Poetry magazine, The Nation, American Poetry Review, A Public Space, and elsewhere. A Nigerian poet and environmentalist, Ahmed holds an MFA from the University of Mississippi and is completing a doctoral degree at the University of Cincinnati.
Read More
Son of Gold
After Àyìnlá OmowúràWhen thirsty, I have learnedto ignore the reflections in the water.It was my turn to sit in the cold,our neighborhood was under siege.On such nights, I suspect every […]
Death in a Pouch
Water no get enemy, if you fight am unless you wan die Omi o l’ota o, water, e no get enemy —Fela KutiI have been reckless in the past; I […]
Upcoming
Workshops
Subscribe
Your free registration with The Kenyon Review includes access to exclusive content, early access to program registration, and more.
Donate
With your support, we’ll continue to cultivate talent and publish extraordinary literature from diverse voices around the world.
