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MOTHER, TELL ME GOD'S SECRET By Testimony Odey

The Rising Phoenix Review

April 8

MOTHER, TELL ME GOD'S SECRET

Mother teach me how to sing the dirge that keeps you up at night,

And makes you shake your waist in fright,

That I might swallow the needles that prick your feet at sunset,

And remove your feet from its sharp ends that make you bleed,

That I might find a relief from this pain your heart uses to survive.

Mother, tell me God's secret,

That I might lift you higher to the heavens & golden sky,

That I might climb over heaven's fence and ask God what evil substance pain is made of.

Mother, come with me:

This world has fed us stinging needles for breakfast.

Let us run like lost children,

Who has no bed to lie on, for we truly have no place to lie on.

Can't you see – there's too much trouble in our land, in this earth we call our own?

Let us move away from this illusion of utopia,

And run far, far away from this place we call home.

Click here to listen to an audio clip.

By Testimony Odey

Biography:
Testimony Odey is a Nigerian storyteller, YouTuber, and author of two award-winning novels. Her short story, 'My Juicy Life,' won the inaugural African Teen Writers Awards and her poem was longlisted and shortlisted for the global Writing Ukraine Prize (2023). Her work has been published on magazines and journals such as Brittle Paper, Paper Lanterns, Tilted House Review, Fiction Attic Press, Kepressng Anthologies, and elsewhere. Currently a fiction editor at Northern Writers Forum (NWF) Journal, she keeps her eyes open for bold and beautiful stories. You can find her on social media @testimonyodey and check out her website: https://linktr.ee/Testimony_Odey .