Rudolf Okonkwo, the Nigerian-American poet, has released a new collection of poems titled ‘A Kiss That Never Was: Poems of Heartbreak & Almost Love’.
The two-part work was published globally on December 5 by Kelsay Books.
The collection, according to the publisher, explores the emotional residue of a love that never fully materialised and of what is salvaged when desire collapses.
The poems blend personal confession with far-flung myths and freshly minted farewell philosophies.
At the heart of the book is an extended contemplation of ‘Zp,’ a woman whose absence shaped both his art and emotional life.
Through poems, elegies, and political meditations, he considers what it means to love in an age shifting from pen-pal tenderness to the unsteady light of the Internet.
Drawing on Igbo traditions, diaspora realities and a life lived between Nigeria and the United States, ‘A Kiss That Never Was’ ushers readers into the fragile country of the “almost”, where heartbreak is not an ending but the spark that begins the writing.
In a world fluent in breakups, few linger on the heartbreak that came before love, the kind that never stood a chance. This collection dwells in that territory with equal parts longing, ache, wonder, and unspoken what-ifs.
Speaking about the project, Okonkwo said it is “for anyone who felt deeply for someone whom life refused to deliver”.
“If you have ever truly lived, you will find yourself on its pages—sometimes laughing out loud, sometimes gripping the edges,” the author added.
He also described the poetry book as “a walk through sealed compartments, a journal of emotional honesty, and a diary of quiet defiance”.
‘A Kiss That Never Was: Poems of Heartbreak & Almost Love’ is now available on Amazon, Kelsay Books, Ingram, and at select independent bookstores.
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