I know you. I know your body smells everywhere I go. I see the smell rising in the street after the rainfall in the late evening; its multi-colors blind the oncoming taxi drivers. It’s almost to the head of a snake, and I’m finished. I want a regular life, children, and a family I can attend to after work. Who’s Mark Fee? What’s he taken from me? How’s the food? It’s all right, but I’ve had better. I’m all alone in a strange city. Suddenly, we find ourselves alone together in the same interior. Tomato plants are growing on the radiator. A river emerges from a painting on the wall. We take a long walk along the river from here; you look anxiously along the line of faces watching us. Who’s Mark Fee? Is he your uncle, or ex-husband, or who? I want to meet him and share a question-and-answer session. I remember your body smell. I’m sorry Eddie Lewis crashed his car, but it serves him right for driving so fast! We stop somewhere. You can see that. The palace is set in the middle of the lake. We need to get everything settled as soon as possible.
Jacob Kobina Ayiah Mensah is the author of Witness, a poetry book. He lives in Ghana, Spain, and North Dakota.