The Rye
Caleb Oluwafemi

You will not take this place

We have come too far
Built with waxed fingertips
Stalls of crayon fruit and kente merchantry
Soaking boast from toiled memory

We have brought colour here
– Look at the powdered dispersion of grey light
Sculpted midwifery into ‘pane clasp
Magicked this place into buoyed commerce

We have weaved economies of space
Found space within space
Bulged over willow and water
Contorted make-do stations

We gave adrenaline to wheezed architecture
Bowing dried crayfish aroma under slab slips
Beating torque into day
This here is patented

This quotient of sky is ours

Caleb Oluwafemi is a poet, English teacher and a member of the SXWKS collective. His works often focus on his experiences as a British-Nigerian. Sanguine, his first book in collaboration with illustrator Olivia Twist, will be released in November 2015. Caleb has led poetry workshops in schools in East and North London in conjunction with the charity Reach Out and was the Roundhouse Poetry Slam 2015 winner. On November 12th Caleb is reading at Well Versed's event at the Peckham Literary Festival.

Well Versed is edited by Jody Porter – wveditor@gmail.com
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