The Geography of Touch

By Emecheta Christian

In the path of your collarbones

I discover new continents of desire,

charting the longitude of breath

against latitudes of unexplored islands.

***

Your fingers flow like rivers

down the valley of my spine,

each vertebra lighting up like lanterns

luminating new paths and revealing riches

we've spent lifetimes seeking.

***

The atlas of your skin contains

stories written in goosebumps—

topographical memories of every time

we've crossed these borders,

scaled these heights,

drowned in these depths.

***

The morning dew spills across your face

like honey on warm bread,

and I study the way your love

tastes in the dullness of my throat,

I am excited to be experiencing this

love that was never

meant for adventurers.

🩷🩷🩷

Emecheta Christian is a vivid writer whose work explores themes of self-actualization, belonging, and the complexities of the human experience. His works have appeared in esteemed literary journals and anthologies such as The Potter's Poetry, Indiana Review, Oxford American, Four Way Review, the Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day Series, and elsewhere. He has been recognized with several awards, including the Iroko Award and The Dorothy Hewett Award. Emecheta's unique voice and evocative imagery have garnered him a growing reputation as a voice of change in the global literary scene.