The cost of living is a ruthless {yes}
Death proposes heaven to me, I accept—a clueless {yes}
In a nightmare, cinnamon tries to asphyxiate me & fails
I wake up with a nosebleed, Alive? I yell a breathless {yes}
Once, in a magical crowd I see a vision the depth of a root,
I spew out dreams, the universe lets out a careless {yes}
I prayed; to be sensitive & my body became a Mimosa
A man stroked my arms, I folded—an airless {yes}
{Y= mx + b} where m is my body, x is death & b is god
Solving for y in this wild world is pointless {yes?}
I am salty when love holds me close in heat
It rains; a lover reaches—I moan a flawless {yes}
Lust is the color of a manmade lake
Pour into me & I you, let our bodies whisper a zipless {yes}
Dark matter, grey matter, no matter; my life unconscious
Please offer me sentience—I’ll scream a helpless {yes}
Ocean love becomes a cup of brackish water & yet you ask;
Is love lost forever? The answer is an anchorless {yes}
Come humid, come dust, bad soul makes bad weather
There is more to salvation than a godless {yes}
Can two walk together unless they agree?
The answer is a mindless yes
My body, a case; I & a Rose Robin are dimorphic
Furnish me an immortal form—I’ll bellow a deathless {yes}
This poem is an excerpt from A Body in Spice, published by Akashic Books (2025) as part of the Kumi Na Moja: New-Generation African Poets limited-edition box set.