THE RIVER
The river snakes by the highway.
We get down from the broken down car
and the tire feels the wrath of your boot.
The river in the blood-orange
afternoon shimmers. The water,
up close, is muddy – a coffee-colored mirror.
A tangle of weeds travel the banks, barges glide
like floating islands. In the distance, a fisherman
casts his net.
Your eyes take in everything.
You say you love how the river
is in the middle of nowhere,
how it is as calm as baby sleep.
It is thick, whatever is between us
and I want to tell you all about it—
to unwind the tape of my tongue.
But my mouth is an envelope sealing.
I love you as this river is calm
as thought.
We would soon worry about
getting this car working again,
but for now we have this river,
now we have each other.
Ridwan Badamasi writes from the ancient city of Kano in northern Nigeria. He is a Biochemistry undergrad in Bayero University. He is a big fan of Lana Del Rey and you can find him on Twitter: @RidhwanBadamasi
