the man by the roadside greets the
world with a song—enmeshed with a
spice of pleas. his voice is a bucket
of broken things. They all walk past
him like he’s a ghost. they all walk
past him reducing their pace into a
halt, a turnaround with a token of
kindness dropping on his enamel.
the world is sometimes a cheerful giver
& not. the man comes here every day.
the sun set his skin on fire. At dusk, he
walks the belly of the city for a spot to lay.
the night breeze is a scalpel slicing his flesh.
He walks back to the same spot singing while
they walk & pass & halt & drop a kindness.
Emmanuel Ojeikhodion
is an emerging Nigerian Writer, Poet, & Essayist. He’s running a bachelor degree in English and Literature at the University of Benin, Nigeria. He typically writes about the dark. He’s been published in Rigorous, Capsule Stories, New Horizon Creatives, The Rising Phoenix Review, African Writer, Còn-scio, Pangolin Review, Kalahari Review, elsewhere and was a finalist for the Best of Kindness Poetry Contest 2020 (origami poems projects). He listens to Blues, country & pop music. Say hello to him on Twitter @hermynuel.