I Held You in the Square by Ben Okri

Share

I Held You in the Square
And felt the evening
Re-order itself around
Your smile.

The dreams I could never touch
Felt like your body.
Your gentleness made the
Night soft.

And even if we didn’t know
Where we were going,
Nor what street to take
Or what bench to sit on
What chambers awaited
That would deliver us our
Naked joy.

I could feel in your spirit
The restlessness for a journey
Whose beauty lies
In the arriving moment
Of each desire.

Holding you in the evening square,
I sealed a dream
With your smile the secret pact.


Acknowledgement: Featured image by Salaam Muhammad, entitled “Kindred Souls”. Available to purchase at Black Art Depot.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Author

Meserette Kentake, founder of Kentake Page, was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, and is of Yoruba descent (mtDNA). Now based in London, she holds a BSc in Counselling Psychology but is most passionate about Afrikan/Black history—especially the Maafa. She earned a post-graduate certificate in African History after her MA program was suspended just before completion. Undeterred, Meserette continues her independent scholarship and is working on a debut book about the Maafa. For enquiries, contact Meserette at meserette@kentakepage.com.

Subscribe to our newsletter