Passing through
the eye of a needle,
I’ve divested myself.
Don’t wait. Use me.
I’ve pared down.
I’ve cut my hair.
I’m clean in the night.
***
As topical as topical can be, these lines have been re-purposed from the passage below by the Congolese poet Tchicaya U’Tamsi, on whom I wrote my MA thesis in 1971. Thus began my life-long study of and fascination with the African literary intelligentzia.
Ne tardez pas
je peux être utile
J’ai déjà refait mes ongles
rasé ma tête
je suis propre devant la nuit
(Épitomé, p 78)