How (Not) To Love

in the place I come from, our hearts have learnt
the fluency of love. our mouths don't speak it,
no, not even by mistake. its volume echoes in
the baritone voice of Papa as he prescribes 500milligrams
of advice to be taken three times a day. in the strokes
of cane that burns my flesh
everytime I go astray. love is nestled in the last crisps
naira notes preserved in the neck of Mama's faded wrappa
given to me to buy the education she couldn't afford. love is
spoken in the midnight prayers offered on my behalf. I have
grown accustomed to this culture and tradition of love, preferring
actions over mere profession. laying down all for one. and to this
I will gladly be its custodian.

Joshua Effiong [He] is a Nigerian writer and a lover of literature. His works has appeared in Eboquills, Kalahari Review & Shallow Tales Review. He is an author of a poetry chapbook Autopsy of Things Left Unnamed. When he is not writing, he is reading, watching movies and listening to music. An undergraduate of Science Laboratory Technology. He lives in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. And here he writes from. You can find him on Instagram @josh.effiong and twitter @JoshEffiong