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any god—when you pray—will tell you—the last thing
they want to do is turn their back—then they turn.
you’re from a country where bombs have
revoked bodies into void, for years; your grandma died
this way. her limbs in the south, head,
north, hands, east—as if showing god
how to dismember a poem. It’s your turn now.
the bombs have come in the same temper—
you in your granny’s frame, near the spot she
escalated into dust. you call upon god,
a bomb dies in your face. your ghost becomes
a thumbprint for history—that you were here—
that god took off at the blast. unbelief is you
with a gun in heaven pointing, asking why, why?



Paul Chuks is a freelancer, poet, and storyteller. He is of Igbo descent and resides in Nigeria. His works have appeared or are forthcoming in Maudlinhouse, Hobartpulp, Isele Magazine & elsewhere. When he’s not reading or writing, he’s analyzing hip-hop verses or moving his body rhythmically to the songs raving on his roof.
Current Issue
24 Jun 2024

I am a little sad that story has ended, even though I could have been the target
We are all harmonic oscillators / Sloshing around in watery bags of salt,
The Rise of Speculative Poetry 
Strange Horizons
Speculative poetry has the power to detach and disarm, to tease and pull, to play and emancipate.
Wednesday: Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa 
Friday: The Silverblood Promise by James Logan 
Issue 17 Jun 2024
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Phonetics of Draconic Languages 
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Issue 6 May 2024
Issue 29 Apr 2024
Issue 15 Apr 2024
By: Ana Hurtado
Art by: delila
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