Anna dances like she is weightless and the audience cheer with a standing ovation. They do not see the one behind the curtain controlling her bleeding feet. She gnashes her teeth in frustration but it looks like a confident smile. Hidden in the rain, her tears glow like diamonds. Legendary!

JL Maikaho is an emerging Nigerian poet, storyteller and essayist. Her works explore diverse themes from women’s rights, ethno-religious conflict and climate change; to romance, mysticism and surrealism. Her poems and short stories have appeared in Brittle Paper, Nnoko Stories, Kalahari Review and elsewhere. A SprinNG fellow (2022 cohort), she’s also a scholarship recipient of the SprinNG Advancement Fellowship, has been longlisted for the Bill Ward Prize for emerging authors and shortlisted for the MAFEELDA Essay contest. JL writes from Gombe, Nigeria and tweets @JLMaikaho.