A Poem by Abu Ibrahim

Mountain Top

Our heads were almost poking the clouds
when we reached the mountain top.

Tempted, we were, to peek into heaven —
startle God a little. The dews slept in

tranquil on the chest of leaves, we sat
amidst lush greenery, & within touching

distance of the tangerine sunrise. The air
massaging our faces

as we stared in awe at the surreal skyline. In silence
our breaths echoed, we listened to the

soughing music of the wind as we rested on the
bark of the tree

with our hands on each other’s shoulders
like overgrown branches.

Here, all the birds do is sing about beauty—
chirping chorus of paradise.

Abu Ibrahim (IB) is a poet and spoken word artist whose work has appeared in The Belfast Review, Causeway Magazine, Barren Magazine, The Shallow Tales Review, Brittle Paper, The Turning Leaf Journal, Kalahari Review, and elsewhere. He has performed at major literary festivals, including the Pa Gya Literary Festival, the Lagos International Poetry Festival, and the Lagos Book and Art Festival. He won the 2024 Poetry Journal Prize, the 2024 Augur Micro-Fiction Contest (poetry category), the Album of the Year at the 2023 Port Harcourt Poetry Festival, and has also received a Best of the Net nomination. He is a former editorial intern at Ink Sweat & Tears, served as a non-judging panellist for the 2025 Jhalak Prize, and is the 2026 poetry judge for the Bournemouth Writing Prize. His debut spoken word album, Music Has Failed Us, is available on all major streaming platforms.