It’s official: our first posted piece for our Spring 2020 season. And what a lovely way to start – we particularly liked this piece from Jacob. Enjoy.
Under His Care
Blacksmithing yellow fat made from milk ‘n’ salt,
O’Joe Cab becomes a backsliding & falling away
from close neighbours structured around
the heating hearth & a short day.
We wake up from this recovery to breathe in
something, yet to be done under grudging,
or suspicions, we struggle in your panic body,
lacking its real formation in oblivion.
A steady vibrating hum throughout the night,
Cab waits somewhere behind the gate
& the red clotting light in his eyes follows
those from their garages & their corner shops.
This late news acts as a comment on English life
strangers complain or depend on in order
to get along & find where their hyperbole
is catching. The coal miners uncover a false issue.
His immigrants, calling themselves “blacks,”
are used to fascinating names like ”Indian,”
“Pakistani,” “Bengali,” etc, something about
naming pride & its harrowing attitudes.
There’s a call from Ms. More, who keeps
cages of chickens for sale in the open market,
everything edging away from itself
& at the same time quick as apples blossoming.
This is your part & my size which is full & bright,
I open your eyes again on the disc & my pulse.
All those who come in a body to your health
are ushered into your gay heart at ease.
—
Jacob Kobina Ayiah Mensah, who is an algebraist and artist, works in mixed media. His poetry, songs, prose, art and hybrid have appeared in numerous journals. He lives in the southern part of Ghana, in Spain, and the Turtle Mountains, North Dakota.