Coriander Seeds

An eighth of my care for you is due

to that copper smile, and the vague

aroma of coriander under your fingernails,

and this glance

you drop in my lap, which I must nurse,

of course.

I forget the other seven eighths; but if pressed,

I might say:

you stayed.

Alexis Teyie is a co-founder and poetry editor with Enkare Review. She published a poetry chapbook, Clay Plates: Broken Records of Kiswahili Proverbs (2016), through the African Poetry Book Fund and Akashic Books. Alexis also co-authored a children’s book, Shortcut (2015). Her poetry, short fiction and non-fiction have appeared in collections like Routledge’s Handbook of Queer Studies (2019); Queer Africa II (GALA); ID & WATER (SSDA), among others. She sings for a secret choir in Nairobi.