Poems by David Ishaya Osu

Birds

Two birds                                                      built

a nest                                                              inside a lilac

forest

They sipped                                                  their

lilts and                                                          that of the

moon

till one sun                                                     intruded and

melted

the ice

gluing their mouths

I cannot be tired

I cannot be tired
of reading
your hair. I have
been taken. Is it sleeplessness
or the bell that wants many balls
is it public or
a walk east of Eden is
it tomorrow or using tea to
wash your face in front
of Francesca Woodman breaking

parabolas

inside a bathroom
I cannot be tired

Atlantic

I live behind
the Atlantic, though
tourists wonder
where the front of
my house
is –it is
the direction

your teeth
is facing
the pizza that

matters

(when
a piano is
calling
your legs
out of your black
shoes).

I live
in front of black
and white
keys skating
on a light wind
born to braid a brain. I
live in that
very second when
your wi-fi takes you
to your wife–a bird
is not born in a nest,
a bird is born
in a blue plate
crumbling into songs
that knit wings together
on their journey
to spring

About the Poet 
David Ishaya Osu (b. 1991) is a Nigerian poet. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in: Atlas Poetica: A Journal of World Tanka, Birmingham Arts Journal, Off the Coast, The Kalahari Review, Vinyl Poetry, Grey Sparrow Journal, RædLeaf Poetry: The African Diaspora Folio, A Thousand Voices Rising: An Anthology of Contemporary African Poetry, among others. David is a board member of the BabishaiNiwe Poetry Foundation, and he is currently polishing his debut poetry book. David is a street photography enthusiast.