the failings of a surgically healed heart | a collection

ii. immigrant

1 | mother tongue

here tells the story of a forgotten mother tongue, igbo

something i only recall when writing my personal statement for english literature.

inspired by the poem 5. 1. 17 (rise) by cigarettenightmares where she talks about her idolisation of the english language and what that has meant for her native language.

mae you've been such a major influence to me on wattpad and with my poetry and just thank you.

2 | nigeria is (not) home

here i discuss how despite everything i've never been to nigeria, despite my nigerian heritage and nigerian mother and nigerian father and nigerian name.

3 | on feeling foreign in a family of foreigners

here i discuss and examine the unique dynamic in my household and what that has meant for my identity of as daughter of nigerian parents living in britain

4 | americanah

inspired by similar themes and ideas raised in the literary fiction by the same title by igbo author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

this is a poem about the Nigerian idealisation of the West to the point it is elevated to diety status

5 | the failure of the immigrant dream

playing about with that idea of the american dream and the generational disconnect between first generation immigrants who are dreamers and second generation immigrants who are realists, to a fault.