People want the Earth but they Don’t Care to Feel It

He drew a circle around my feet
On the concrete with a
Piece of chalk
Thus marking the shape of his
Crime

I moved in and out of
His visibility
Remaining still, out of reach
And in the palm of his
Dreams

And then one day,
He didn’t see me dancing.

My pedestal
Was made of air!


When I tasted the earth
I found that it
– Was sweet
And gritty
– Moistened my mouth
And chipped away at my teeth

And the soil made way for
Me
Welcomed
Me
In its terminal embrace

Readjusting contours
Unchanging composition
Pushing
Me
Up
Even as I
Sank

He wants the earth
But he doesn’t care to
Feel it



Copyright Lulu Kitololo