Secondary school,

pacing in the sweltering sun

cramming pages from my huge biology note

or at least trying to understand the seen and unseen elements…

Home,

dry, dusty harmattan

brown leaves rustling beneath barren tree branches

clearing them with a rake, making a burnfire…

A place in the city,

sitting on the patio

watching a conscientious owner attend to a pawpaw tree

listening to religious chants from a nearby church

Peach city,

because most of the streets are named after peaches

the sun is sweltering this time of the year

and I wish I had a patio

so I sit on an elevated platform

peeping through a window that can only open so wide

I’m trying to breathe in the sunlight as much as I can

because this would be the substance of memories for years to come.