The Banana Shot
for Fatima Umar
(i)
All the while you want to reach across the table Place your thumb on her dimple And say —O Fati of the golden bed Zahra of incense and mirrors, Let me write a verse in sand Show you a trick with words That might be true
That I learned to do with a knife
But you say nothing
Her lips move and you think of the undressing of fruit
And long retired Italian footballers
(ii)
There must be a spider at the centre of the universe That weaves the ways of men, that shapes the path Whose breath is the wind that sets us to sea
In this life of meetings and partings
Finger prints are microcosmic
A dimple is space
(iii)
Roberto Carlos stands between heaven and earth The wall of death before him, seeking immortality The cheers of men behind him, the Spider Leads the ball home to goal
As I to her
(iv)
I fly a kite over the great Sahara, wonder Where Fati is right now, if she’d look Up, if she’d see me thinking
Of her.
Richard Ali is a Nigerian author and member of @JaladaAfrica. His debut collection, “The Anguish and Vigilance of Things” will be published by Konya Shamsrumi (Lagos).
