Sarah Lasoye

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Josh

Josh doesn’t like my black gums. I don’t really care
but I tell him it’s because I drink tar, just to see what he says.
I don’t know why I say it and I don’t know what his reaction will be
but I like the way dice look when thrown up in the air.

He doesn’t say anything for a whole minute (I count) 
and then turns to spit. Saliva builds up in his mouth 
quicker than anyone else’s but apparently, it’s not a condition.

‘Sometimes, I have it with cereal in the morning.’

He says nothing a final time. And I’m so pleased 
with my little noose, so neat and tight.
I tie a bow and prop it on his upper lip.

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SARAH LASOYE is a poet and writer from London. She is an alumna of the Barbican Young Poets programme and current member of Octavia – Poetry Collective for Women of Colour. Her debut chapbook, Fovea / Ages Ago, was published by Hajar Press in April 2021.