Tuesday Poem by Dami Ajayi

Fate’s big hands
stretched out for a handshake.
My world quakes from within
& I regard these hands, these lithe fingers,
this acquaintance that lingers
with quavering promises.

Fate’s big hands again.
A bladder threatens social conventions &
I dally between digits & micturition.
I chose the urinal over your tentative smile
& I regret this in the split second
I privileged piss over bliss.

Fate’s big hands again.
Three strikes, one night.
I had folded your memory into
shelves where cobwebs belong.

The night was not young &
I had a train & a plane to catch,
I had London summer to navigate
with a Samsung & song
I dropped to the platform &
there you were,
not nursing a smile.