quietude
Leave a commentOctober 1, 2023 by The Citron Review
by Nadia Bongo
On the pavement
below, I, and a handful
of leaves, watch a leaf,
electric yellow,
fall from a linden tree.
The heart-shaped leaf
descends, without swaying
without turning
without wounding
anyone’s shoulder or
chest with a splash
of color.
My mouth waters,
for I revel in this time,
watching the leaf
lowering itself
in grace.
Nadia Bongo teaches French language and literature. She lived in her country, Gabon, and France. In 2018, she was selected to attend a Cave Canem Workshop. She was a Brooklyn Poets Fellow and Poet of the Week in 2021. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Newtown Literary, the NYPL zine, Litro Magazine online, African Voices, TAOS Journal of Poetry, Apex Magazine, and elsewhere. She also loves drawing and photography.
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