Honorable Mention - Mombasa --
by Stephanie Amsel



It rolls off your tongue
playing bongos
on the roof of your mouth

your pink tongue will take flight
with the flamingoes
over the round earth

the world is smaller
than Africa
you should see it

full of colors seeking shade
trees fanned out like calla lilies
crying for cover

there are so many places to hide
under the mosquito netting at the
base of Kilimanjaro

except for the dead boy
by the side of
the road

he couldn't hide
his body flattened like
a dried smooth snake

fell off his bike--
run over
like a bump in the road





Illya's Honey Literary Journal

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