Boy is Bold and Beautiful 
By Michael Akuchie

The boy is sorry for not breaking,
he does not wear the grief of a bad day.
 
He digs into his name,
pulls out a history of defiance &
 
promises to remain untouched by a nosy society.   
The boy plays with his hair,
 
teaches it how to walk backwards,
to not answer the call of straightness.
 
The boy slips a lollipop inside his mouth,
colours tongue with a rainbow's skin.
 
Boy as a flower decorates his body with thorns,
hugs society so it can express shock in a trail of blood. 
 
The boy belongs in a garden of other boys,
where sunlight holds out its hand,
 
& everybody testifies to being sun kissed.
Here, fires don't find the motivation to begin,
 
& while God watches,
one boy's mouth embraces our boy dearly.