“More Idiot Than American” by Samuel Adeyemi

my first kiss refused to wear off my lips.
the next day, father drove us to church 
& i could taste her in every prayer.

sometimes, i am still that sixteen year old
with a wispy mustache, hair texturised into 
waves of receding wires. 

i still trade hands for loves i cannot hold.
once / a girl walked me down the boulevard,
our elbows, clutched like cuffs of chocolate skin.

but listen—only the wind walks me now.
i am a Green Day song tonguing the breeze. 
i drift—a chorus singing outside itself.

how much heartbreak does it take to measure 
a boy?    they teach love but not how to be loved / 
dress a soldier for war, but do not teach him how to die.

Samuel Adeyemi is an 18-year-old Nigerian writer and an ardent lover of literature. His poems have appeared in EBOquills and are forthcoming in Ghost Heart Literary Journal and The Kalahari Review. When he is not writing, he enjoys watching anime and listening to a variety of music. You may reach him on Twitter and Instagram @samuelpoetry