ISSUE 5 | JULY 2022 | REINCARNATION
i taste the sorrow in spinach
i swallow the sorrys whole
it is my grandfather thinking he should have done my mother better
i would have named my eggs after him
carried him whole in my womb
when I say
“no waitress, no waitress this salad is fine
i just need some more cream”
i mean everything set before me can bring bad memories home
if grown in the mountains of the Krobos
this carrot may have grown from my grandfather’s eyes
his sockets falling into dead soil to wake it
there is no end to what the body was made to do
we live even in our death
if this green pepper grew from his limbs
what becomes of mine moving forward
do i forget what i am sure my mother has already
about forgiveness, we cannot guarantee what those born with our pain will do
i choose not to let him off easily
to say she grew up fine anyway is to say i will let the same thing happen twice
in memory you have the choice to hold on
so i am stuck to the remembering
Afua Awo Twumwa
Afua Awo Twumwa is an accountant, a writer and has a keen interest in the performing arts. Her works have appeared in Tampered Press, Kalahari Review, AFREADA and some anthologies. Find her on all socials @awotwumwa.
Photo by Joeri Römer on Unsplash