October Song

Speculative poetry on the liminal space between seasons, when the veil between worlds wears thin

Hope Joseph is an essayist, and poet. He writes from Nigeria, West Africa. His works are forthcoming or already published in Notre Dame, Christian Science Monitor, Augur, Stormbird, SolarPunk, Riddlebird, Reckoning, The Sunlight Press, A Longhouse, MukoliMag, Flute, Wizard In Space, Curio Cabinet, Speculative City, Timber Ghost Press, IBUA, SprinNG, Evening Street Press, Zoetic Press, Spillwords, Writers Space Africa, and more. A Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominee. A joint winner for SEVHAGE/Agema Founder’s Prize for Creative Non-Fiction. He's a reader for reckoning press.
He was a fellow in the 2021 SprinNG Writing Fellowship.
He tweets @ItzJoe9. Find him on Instagram _hope_joseph_writes or via his website.

This poem was originally published in the now-defunct Wizards in Space Magazine.

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In the right season
ghosts too fall in love,
and land on their chin laughing
as the ground opens to release more dead.
Late October and whosoever
is in charge of the dead
sleep under the cool breeze of autumn leaves.
The dead will wake to songs
dedicated to their honour.
Late October sunset the unholy
and the holy will dine with the unknown.

I will open my hand
for a gift that can only
drop from the sky.

If ghosts can find love
in the cool October breeze;
then carry me on the wings of fortune.
Love washing my face and feet
with the water that doesn't dry
in summer or freeze in winter.

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