forgive our art
that’s yet to come,
we are girls
from our shrines,
like the flower
before God,
we’ll beat drums
for prayers
on our hands—
wake in the terraced house,
the cost of our poetry isn’t
a thousand note
Zakiyyah Dzukogi is the author of Carved (a poetry collection); winner of the Nigeria Prize for Teen Authors, 2021, a prize she had earlier won the second-place position in 2020. She is a winner of Brigitte Poirson Poetry Prize, 2021 as well as the Splendors of Dawn Poetry Prize, 2019. She has her works published in Upwrite Nigeria, Artmosterrific chapbook, the Nigeria Review, INNSAEI Journal, Konya Shamsrumi, Literature Voices, Book o clock, Corona Blues, Poetry Tuesday, Heartlinks Magazine, Paradise on Earth International Anthology vol I and II, Of Shadows and Rainbow anthology, Piamvoices, Melbourne Culture Corner, Olney Magazine, Sledgehammer, The Beatnik Cowboy, Warp 10 lit, Kalahari review, Ninshar Arts, Ghost City Review, Cafe Au Lait Magazine, rigorous and others.