Helen Ifeagwu
Blackmoonchild
Martheaus Perkins
Axis of Becoming by Helen Ifeagwu
Eternal
by Blackmoonchild
Love Lives as a [War Hero]
by Martheaus Perkins
You and your Granny’s faces, floodlit by box TV cartoons.
When she asks which Justice Leaguer is your favorite, surprise her.
No, not Superman with his Ronald-Reagan-ish face. No, not Green Lantern,
the Black Vietnam vet. No, Ne Ne—I love the Martian Man
-hunter, he’s a shapeshifter, a green-skinned alien
insurgent with a Black man’s voice (Piccolo-style).
Granny says get on with your bad self as you strike poses, as you
make clay of your new space orphan organs: four lungs to inhale the fumes
of your firebombed planet. Psychic flashes from secret origins. Mars
drowned in flames. The Imperium expelling you
to Granny’s house where you morph your face to match the portraits
of sepia men on her mantle. Lose control, contort into any man you see, you’re
taller now, then balder, then you’re the cousin with a pretty jump shot, then
the uncle with the sharp eyebrows who Granny told you had a sweet spot
for Kirk Franklin. Then you’re a soft-faced man in a pilot’s hat. Mr.
John Henry, Granny’s daddy, who legends say returned to his wife, Polly Ann,
from a segregated barracks. John, your shell-shocked hand taps the remote control
while your silver-haired daughter tells your war stories. You’re named a cheater,
a gambler, a fucks-white-women-on-the-side-r, a father
who could phase through walls, a father
who once rang a tambourine in 1954 as Hurricane Alice roared bass outside
the storm cellar. That bellsong was your way to calm your baby daughter—
was your way of playing with your life.
Should Mar Mar outthink the AI, or “Nat-Turner” the AI?
Ingest more microfilm to know.
Should Mar Mar blend the myths of John Henry and Spider-Man? Maybe
a gamma-spider bites John Henry in the mines, grants powers, saves his failing heart.
Why so hard to let Machine take what it wants?
Machine, write a story where Mar Mar is jaywalking in the shape of Othello
with his friends. He should be smooth-talking. Erase his childhood stutter.
He is with those neighborhood boys. They’re ribbing each other once again.
No. You’re a pussy who’s def on the spectrum.
Let’s not pretend. I know you, Moor.
Neighborhood boys will bully Othello.
Call Othello a [*stuttering child*]
Othello deserves this. How else men made.
Machine built to scoff Othello’s words.
You’re a reverse racist. Machine will
swallow. Will load your lungs with
[*drowning noise*].
Love Lives as a [Man-Made Machine]
Helen Ifeagwu is an Austrian-Nigerian artist and former journalist based in Vienna, Austria. Her realist paintings are a visual exploration of identity, shaped by a natural curiosity and an analytical perspective informed by her background in journalism.
Helen earned a BA (Hons) in Journalism from City, University of London before continuing her artistic training at Cambridge School of Visual & Performing Arts, where she completed a pre-master’ s program in Art and Design.
Throughout her life, she has been drawn to exploring the subtle interconnections between humans, nature, and technology, with the visual language of her work often sitting somewhere in between these realms. Her early ink drawings evoke a deep connection to the symbolism found in nature, while her recent body of oil paintings expands this inquiry into more layered and imaginative narratives. Through surreal imagery and symbolic compositions, her work reflects on personal and cultural identity, the possibility of parallel realities, and the search for a reimagined world.
Blackmoonchild is a Detroit-based producer and DJ blending classic techno with futuristic sonics. Since 2018, she has developed a signature high-velocity sound that’s earned local recognition from parties such as Interdimensional Transmissions and Underground & Black, leading to headlining sets across the U.S. Raised on hip-hop, R&B, metal, and punk, she brings Detroit’s legacy into the present through experimental sampling and genre-bending club energy. Currently she is the co-founder and resident DJ of Blueprint, a Black femme-led party in Detroit and in 2025, she made her Movement Festival debut, released her EP Eternal, and completed a two month artist residency in Berlin. These milestones mark only the beginning of a career poised to leave a lasting impact on electronic music culture.
Martheaus Perkins (he/him) is a first-gen college graduate and the son of a single Black mother. He is the author of The Grace of Black Mothers (Trio House Press). Perkins has appeared in BWR, diode, Obsidian, Mizna, and Beloit. His name is a collection of each woman who helped raise him: “Mar” was his grandmother, “Thea” is his mother’s name, and “us” represents his two aunties who created the name. martheausperkins.com