The Marbled Sigh

For JB and the Elders

We break ourselves

It is not the stranger’s boot that

turns us inward with bitterness

it is the hand that has fondled our breasts

suddenly striking hard

that is too much to bear

We cannot forgive you for

abandoning us

for casting us out of

community we helped to build

the real pain

to no longer see those we have grown

to love even as we saw the end coming

We cannot forgive you since

you know not what you have done

but licking old wounds just keeps them moist

so we must

at least

let go

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Monique Ngozi Nri, a writer of Nigerian, Barbadian, and British descent, was born in Coventry, England, raised in Nigeria until age nine, and has lived in Brooklyn, New York, for 30 years. Her work delves into her nomadic life, exploring the impact of the Biafran war, displacement, home, relationships, freedom, and feminism. She is committed to social change through her writing. Her work has appeared in And Then, The Brooklyn Review, The Marbled Sigh, and The New York City Jazz Record. Her first book of poetry was published in 2024 with the title Who We Be.