Patterns
Oritsegbemi Emmanuel Jakpa
for Venie Martin
Sitting crooked on this zebra chair in your office,
my eyes take aim at the curtains
like those in the temple of Xingjiao,
then at the shelf overlooking the window,
the paintings, the sculptures,
wood cuts, paper cuts, crochet ....
I feel as if I climb up and look out at the world
from the top of the Iroko, from the top of Kilimanjaro,
from the top of Burj Dubai,
as if I am in Paris, in New York, in London,
in the den of lifestyles,
histories, geniuses, and dreams.
Oritsegbemi Emmanuel
Jakpa lives in Ireland.