of his back slapping

the wet ground

delights me

tightens my will

brings a loud silence

and sends the heads

of our mates

jerking back

in disbelief.

This had been my strategy

in the few moments

that my heart grabbed

all common sense

and held it hostage:

catch him off guard,

attack like a wildcat,

straight and quick.

Injure him

just enough

so he cannot retaliate,

do any more damage

to her

to me.

What had not been my plan

was him lying there

dead,

then coughing

his way back to life,

and laughing

and jumping up,

wiping the mud

from his back,

wagging his finger

at me,

then chanting the war song

that everyone knew

and loved

and shouted back

to him:

Ose Yie

OSE YIE

Ose Yie

OSE YIE.

And when the singing stopped,

the silence erupted.

A TALE OF TWO BOYS

He was born

one week before me,

has won every contest

between us

and even though

we both know

our mothers

will kill us

for behaving like savages,

my cousin wants blood:

Mine.

EULOGY

With arms flailing

like wings on a vulture,

he dances

around me

like the warriors

we will both soon become.

And then he pounces,

his fist slamming

into my jaw,

his arms somehow managing

to lock my head

before it hits

the ground.

Me. On my knees,

in his clutch,

each breath shorter

than the one before.

I cannot breathe.

Him: Before you die, remember this…

I REMEMBER

the wind whistling

and a cloud of black birds

circling above.

I remember

him turning my neck

to face Ama.

I remember

him whispering,

She will be mine.

I remember

I want to tell Ebo later

that dying feels worse

than I ever imagined.

And then I remember

his arm tightening

around my neck

and right before

my eyes close,

I remember

the sun melting

into nothing,

the pouring rain,

and the voice

of Mr. Phillip

scattering everyone

and saving me

from certain death.

CONSEQUENCE

You are not savages, Mr. Phillip chides,

making the three of us

stay after lessons

and listen

while he teaches us

to read Henry VI aloud,

each of us playing

a part:

My cousin, King Henry,

Me, Richard,

and Ama, Margaret.

Goodluck enjoys this entirely too much.

CONVERSATION WITH MR. GOODLUCK PHILLIP

We are each sent home

at different times—first Ama,

then my cousin, then,

since I am a repeat offender,

me.

But before I can leave

he makes me sweep

the entire classroom,

stack all the journals,

and arrange our chairs

in a perfect circle.

The elders will gather here tonight before the start of the festival, he offers.

…

I keep working, hoping

that upon my release

there will be enough light remaining

for me to meet Ebo

at the river.

Kofi, you are clear-sighted

with a good head. There are places

it can take you, if you do not squander

your smarts. Unlike your barbarian cousin,

who has the ambition of a toad.