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.