Kaozara Okikiola Oyalowo

Kaozara Okikiola Oyalowo



1. Tomorrow

grandma ████ die
█████████ night in ███ out ██ sleep,
bed chafed; eyes basked ██ salt
I ███████ drought.
mud cracked mouth ███ catching salt bath
███████ Atlantic between us ██ doing?
██████ tears did it swallow ██ I become ██ ocean?

I weep, ██████████ Fajr prayer again
███████ memories ██ sit down &
tuck ███ knees ██ to ███ chest,
██████ can’t remove ███
dugout soil from ███ shoes.

█████ yesterdays before,
████ planes ██████ home,
███ prayers ██████ , unexpired,
under ███ bread and ████ butter tray,
█████████ corners of ██████ perfume magazines.
In ███ man ███ never sleeps ██████ as jittery like us.
██ ate prayer ██████ :
█████████ meet again ██

Tomorrow ████ bread █████████████ grow ████ moss.
Butter drips ████ miserly, ██████████ cement
████ bottom of planes’ metal fridge
█████████ perfume bottles █████████████ lose fluid,
███ lingering scents █████████ abscond neck
████████ deep slumber assail ███ man, arm and head █████ by gravity.




KAOZARA OKIKIOLA OYALOWO is a poet from Leicester. Her poems explore themes such as femininity, race, religion, diaspora, and immigration. Kaozara is a Roundhouse Poetry Slam and Unislam finalist 2019. She has been commissioned by 2FunkyArts, BBC, Derbyshire County Council Historic England and Quiet Down There.