There was a bliss that fell over me in the summer
That summer when mosquitos bit my legs
And juice ran down my chin
Some parts were like sunburn
They hurt
But most of the days were carefree
We swam together
You and I
Not that we could swim
We walked up to the edge of it and sat an arm’s length apart from one another
Jesus might have sat there
That’s what my mom told me
That Jesus filled the spaces
When we didn’t fill the town with our laughter
I wondered if he filled in the silence
I wonder if he felt the sun and smelled the flowers
I didn’t believe in him
Because I could only believe in things I could see
So I believed in you and the way you kicked when I tickled your belly
Sometimes I would think of us in the past as the present was happening
I would uncurl the dog ears of yesterday and kiss the already faded images
Worn out by too many excited hands
I would twist my hair around my finger
We sat under the tree
Watching your empire of working boys grow
One coat on the fence after another
I declared that I was in love with you
I decided this after we chased each other in the fields and collapsed near a bed of flowers
I decided this when you said you would never take a wife
“Then have me as your best friend,” I said
The kisses came like mosquito bites
I slapped at my legs to calm the itch
Silent and unknowing
Zara Medugu, 19, is originally from Nigeria. She is currently studying communications in a university in Israel. Zara also hosts a radio show that combines poetry and music via the university’s radio station. You can find her other works here: zarainwords.wordpress.com and her radio show can be streamed from this site: http://1062fm.co.il/en/category/culture-and-entertaiment/the-mosaic/
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