It is chaotic that I am still living.
| Life carries itself in illusions |
My heart withers with tree trunks;
| leaves become |
a template for the afterlife.
| Everything bores |
and excites only slightly.
| The shifts toll music |
like beads
| caught up in a single line thread |
and I am one of them.
| It is chaotic that we are all |
still dreaming
| in a world of constant death |
like nothing
| in all of this |
is right.
Star Zahra
Star Zahra is a Nigerian poet and textile artist. She is the author of Girls and the Silhouette of Form, winner of the 2025 ANA/KMVL Prize for Poetry. Her work has appeared in Isele Magazine, Brittle Paper, The Lagos Review, Konya Shamsrumi, Shallow Tales Review, Olongo Africa, Daily Trust NG and other publications. Star was poetry editor for Guesthouse Magazine Iowa and currently submissions editor for Orison Books, a US-based literary press.
