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The Afterpast Review

A Feminist Magazine

please read the instructions by Adele Nwankwo (Nigeria, 24)

9/18/2023

 
​you probably
see me
as some
wind-up toy
or trinket:
all friable
made-in-nigeria-y
quality
(some parts
may be
missing
):
my illness
as invisible
as the
finger tap taken
to like
an ableist
tiktok video
comment a
crying-laughing
emoji on
​said video:
would you
believe me
if my
arms’d been
blown off
in some
oil-hoarding
mission
in the
Middle East or
my lungs
eviscerated during
a regime change
just ‘cause
someone wanted
to resist
the Amerikkkan
financial
hegemony?
would you
​believe me
if all
the stars
pleated themselves
into a
quilt of
asterisks right
before your
very eyes***?
or the
phone in
your hand
sent you
a gymtok
alert saying
self-diagnosed mild
depression after
a breakup
was a
(dis)ability, too?
would you
​finally get
that humanity
is every
tally it
forgets to
count: every
miracle it
doesn’t beat
into eugenic
taxonomic
specification?
humanity, the
orange, the
lepper, the
saddened. if
it found
the courage
to call out
one
can only
hope you’d
​​finally listen.
***the
Manufacturer
cannot be
held liable
for the
contents of
this person.



​Adele Nwankwo (they/them), 24, is a genderfluid member of the Nigerian diaspora. They are a healthcare worker by trade, but have recently taken up writing as a means of exploring the connections between identity, trauma, and humour. Their poetry is inspired and encouraged by figures like Gwendolyn Brooks, Douglas Kearney, Ocean Vuong, and Ed Roberson. They have work upcoming in several magazines.

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  • Home
  • Magazine
    • A Past of Protest
    • The Imperfect Present
    • A Feminist Future
  • Blog
  • About
    • Masthead
    • Join Us
  • Submissions
  • New Air Era Project
    • About Us
    • Resources
    • Our Work >
      • Partnerships
      • Share Your Voice
      • Fundraiser
    • Contact
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