After “the Kitchen” by Warsan Shire
Bay leaves & broth steaming;
just yesterday my body went missing.
Heated oil, onions sizzling;
I saw it last on a bush path.
Curry paste & rosemary;
the butcher said he knows where I left my retina.
Yaji & all purpose;
I don’t want my eyesight, please give me my legs.
Thyme & coconut milk;
he keeps chopping a bloodied limb.
Saffron & garlic;
turn left, turn right, he points me a dusty street.
Locust beans & uziza;
there is no body there.
Cloves & palm oil bleaching;
the butcher says he can trace my septum.
Cayenne & black pepper;
fuck perception, please show me my hands.
Scent leave & lemongrass oozing;
he points me a local farm.
Scent leave & lemongrass oozing;
the butcher is freezing 10 fingers.
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.