Emmanuel Suits and shoes of outward shine Coats and boasts but not a dime Briefcases in want of shuffling sheaves But scuttling feet, webs and leaves Spasms of splendour and subtle saunter Smelling of cinnamon and sensual scents Flashy time-pieces with sapphire studs To trap the sexes in allure and jealousy Savouring the stares assuming the pose Flagging taxis at five and a half When none would stop for want of space Boarding the bus with snob and show Alights and darts and strips his fawn For reflectors and brushes and barrows with wheels And oh, a hat pulled low

TO LAYDI ANIS: LOVING YOU If loving you were wrong I would never make it right If it hurt to see you smile I would brace for a #life of pain If the grace of your hand Was the guillotine’s glee I would submit And be quick would plead If loving you were the sun’s demise Then the world shall abundantly hate For the light of day Shall be a dream and a curse And I shall be damned for self Can you see the third step’s tread? For sight I need not a third You are the unseen For that I need just love And love, just you If loving you is pure and sweet and #life Then I shall live an eternity If it were the infantile cry To a laboured mother’s relief Then I would be born again and again To remember your eyes As upon me your first sight glaze