A beam of sunlight escapes through the kitchen curtains
It goes through the glass vase on the dining table
And onto my golden brown skin
I can see patterns of the light through my eyelids
My head lies on the cool white tile
My hands sit above my navel
My feet brushing against the wall
I hear my mother speaking Wolof on the phone,
“Naakam? Waaw, hallai bahna”
The smell of okra and beef dance around the kitchen
I inhale and exhale, counting my breaths
Until a tall shadow comes over me
I open my eyes, and my mother is in view
“Kai laika” she looks at me, with her phone between her cheek and shoulder
A wooden spoon in one hand
And a baby on her back
I crawl out of the warm sunlight
That shined through my closed eyes
That shined onto my golden brown skin
That shined through the vase on the dining table
That shined from the kitchen window curtains.
Dec 24, 2025
Dec 24, 2025 at 9:28 PM UTC
A beam of sunlight escapes through the kitchen curtains
It goes through the glass vase on the dining table
And onto my golden brown skin
I can see patterns of the light through my eyelids
My head lies on the cool white tile
My hands sit above my navel
My feet brushing against the wall
I hear my mother speaking Wolof on the phone,
“Naakam? Waaw, hallai bahna”
The smell of okra and beef dance around the kitchen
I inhale and exhale, counting my breaths
Until a tall shadow comes over me
I open my eyes, and my mother is in view
“Kai laika” she looks at me, with her phone between her cheek and shoulder
A wooden spoon in one hand
And a baby on her back
I crawl out of the warm sunlight
That shined through my closed eyes
That shined onto my golden brown skin
That shined through the vase on the dining table
That shined from the kitchen window curtains.