Now, do not swallow this or you will cough until you die, she says,

handing me the leaf. I cannot tell whether she is serious or not.

…

It is a joke. It is just a clove leaf, mainly used to make the pain of a bad tooth go away. You will be fine.

It has the smell of something in my maame’s stew… Thank you, Ama.

Are you and Ebo going to swim now?

If the river is you, I will swim… is what I wish I could say. Instead, I answer, No swimming today. It is too dark.

WHERE I GO

each day

after school

is both hideout

and oasis.

It is where I am student

and king.

A place that holds me

and my destiny safely

in its deep-blue arms.

The river

where I splash

and splish

and kick

into twilight

until the stars emerge

or Kwasi

comes growling

like a hippo.

KOFI, OUT OF THE WATER, NOW!

IT IS ALMOST DARK!

Sometimes

I pretend to not hear

him telling me

what to do

just because

he is older

and bigger,

but when it comes

to swimming,

I have to listen,

because all the elders

in my family

and mostly all

the old people

in our village

say that the river

is cursed

at nighttime.

KOFI, OUT OF THE WATER, NOW!

IT IS ALMOST DARK!

Sometimes

I pretend to not hear

him telling me

what to do

just because

he is older

and bigger,

but when it comes

to swimming,

I have to listen,

because all the elders

in my family

and mostly all

the old people

in our village

say that the river

is cursed

at nighttime.

CONVERSATION WITH EBO

CHALE! Ebo hollers, handing me a palm full of red berries.

Just in time—I can use a sweet snack.

Also, I collected these, he says, showing me a bag of kola nuts.

What, you are preparing our dinner now, chale? I say, laughing.

Oh, these are not for you to eat.

What are they for, then?

For you to present to Ama’s uncle when you ask to marry her, he adds, laughing.

You are a nut, yourself.

Your obsession is so obvious, Kofi.

I am not obsessed.

You are. And you are afraid to tell her.

I am not.

Then do it, big man, tell her how you feel, he says, peeling away the kola’s white skin.

How I feel? You sound like my sisters.

Ei! Your sisters are smart. And beautiful, he says, looking way too excited.

My sisters are married and their husbands will skin you for thinking those thoughts.

Only two are married. Esi is free, no? She is dark and comely. You think she will come to me? he says with a smirk.

Ebo, you are a fool.