a brief history

history oft becomes second nature.
a history of subservience is inferiority.
history is sediment of time,
sturdy like diamond
to undo history, we ask time
to become cannibal, which is to say
we ask time to chew on its own
fangs, chew itself back to the beginning,
down to its innocent gums
a history of privilege is entitlement.
a history of drowning is tight lungs,
is slouched back, is soft mollusk
bearing shells fortified by saltwater alliance
harm is swifter than healing.
the best way to tend a gash is to never
swing a lash –
on a boiling afternoon,
on a cotton field.


Abdulbaseet Yusuff writes short stories and experiments with poems. Some of his works have been published on Rattle, Brittle Paper, African Writer Magazine and elswhere.