Standing at the corner of the hallway
is the child I wish to become.
Busy hands unpacking toys, building cars
& bridges with polymer.
He applauds his innocence, looks at me
with unburdened eyes & points at his invention.
This hallway is his highway & he cruises, this child.
There are no ills from a poisoned fellow who sees
skin colour as the enemy,
No speed limits to keep the flight of dreams in check,
No medical reports sounding final warnings on cholesterol.
No mails from the IRS or credit card companies with figures
bad for blood pressure.
He kicks the bridge & watches it tumble down in multicolor.
This is what it means to know life as milk.
Echezonachukwu Nduka is a Nigerian-born poet and classical pianist. He holds BA & MA degrees in Music from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Kingston University London, UK. Author of Chrysanthemums for Wide-eyed Ghosts, his works have appeared in Transition, Ake Review, Maple Tree Literary Supplement, Saraba, Jalada Africa Language Anthology, Bakwa, Magazine River River, Bombay Review, Brittle Paper, 20.35 Africa: An Anthology of Contemporary African Poetry Vol. II, African Writer, among others. Mr. Nduka is a member of South Jersey Poets Collective & currently lives in New Jersey where he writes, teaches, and performs regularly as a solo and collaborative pianist. Official website: www.artnduka.com