I am swarthy, swarthier than Udogwugwu’s impassive countenance. Every night I lie, like a green snake skulking its predator’s sward-surrounded purlieus, in apprehensive anticipation of day. My hazel eyes are Granny’s snuff store; my nasal bore Ojadili’s fetish-flute. Little children can, for firewood, fetch my gnarled legs. My visage is bumpy, with a … Continue reading Handicap
Ethnic group: Ogoni State: Rivers Lesi grew up, with four brothers and no sister, under a roof which often resonated with: ‘Don’t you know you’re a girl?’ At first she did not like being reminded she was a girl. She knew and needed no one to remind her. And because she was essentially a girl, … Continue reading Girls Are Special
The lion is on the zebra’s trail, closing in fast on it. The zebra, very swift, meanders its way through the thick thickets, its black-striped whiteness disappearing in the sea of green. The lion, much a purlieus-travelled inhabitant as the prey, plunges headlong into the sea, its paws set to pounce. A shrill whine … Continue reading Salt to Injury