Michael Akuchie, Author at INVERSE JOURNAL

Michael Akuchie

Michael Akuchie is an Igbo-Esan born emerging poet currently studying English and Literature at the University of Benin, Nigeria. An Orison Anthology nominee, his poems have previously appeared on The Mantle, Willawaw, Collective Unrest, Impossible Task, Anomaly, TERSE and elsewhere. He is on Twitter as @Michael_Akuchie.

With So Much Silence — Two Poems by Michael Akuchie

December 31, 2019 | Poetry

Young Nigerian poet Michael Akuchie presents two of his poems. “Interrogation With a Note About Identity” explores the inaccessibility that can be felt with the inability to speak one’s native language, rendering one an outsider. The poet is Igbo-Esan and produces these verses from that duality and the hybrid space that he inhabits in his quest for expression in both African languages. Akuchie adds that through his own experiences, he employs the poetic verse to show just how much he endures in the struggle to “belong” while also depicting the type of bias people like him face. “With So Much Silence” explores the theme of a domestic dispute and separation through a silence that speaks.