1441
John Chinaka Onyeche
That year, the Atlantic opened its mouth.
What it swallowed stayed red for three centuries.
You, hunter—I will not say your name.
You mistook the shine of a man’s back
for the hide of an animal, and called it trade.
Now the maps name only the ports.
The villages have no coordinates.
Rio de Oro, the land where first
a priest blessed the chains.
At your name, men were captured—
not for what they did,
but for what they had.
Prince Henry, you asked for gold.
We sent you our spines.
John Chinaka Onyeche is a Nigerian writer based in Port Harcourt, and a historian from Etche in Rivers State. While he is dedicated to ensuring that the full scope of history is accurately represented, John now writes about family, broken homes, the effect on its victims, and survival. His writing can be found in various journals, including York Literary Review, McNeese Review, Pier Review, Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival Anthology, Tilted House Journal, The Shallow Tales Review, Akewi Magazine, Tampered Press, Ta—Adesa Magazine and Brittle Paper, etc. He is a Best of Net/Pushcart nominee respectively. You can connect with him on X/Twitter @Apostlejohnchin