Terrestrial Being

Grounded in thickets

and bearing 

forced witness

to all that you are. I need you 


like I need

a walk in the daytime

so I tread circles upon circles

on vacant nights instead.


If you would meet me out here

on my terms

then maybe

I could stop being a child.


Until then I'm petulant,

difficult to touch,

Sore on the eyes,

and disquietingly yours. 

Hachi Chuku is a Managing Editor for Nimrod International Journal. Their writing explores family, nature, and mental health within the realms of fiction and poetry. They have work in and forthcoming in The Shallot, Knee Brace Press, The Amazine, The Basilisk Tree, and more. They can be found on Instagram @curio.odes and Substack @curioodes. When they are not writing, they love to crochet.