Kafui Siabi
He sharpens oranges with a blade too clean,
peels them spiral, like he’s undoing a year.
His shirt reads NASA. He’s never left Makola.
Coins clink like small regrets.
He ties the bag, hands it over,
juice trailing down his wrist like truth.
Behind him, a radio coughs into static.
He doesn’t flinch.
The sky threatens rain again.
He bets it won’t.
Ghanaian writer, Kafui Mawunyo Siabi writes with quiet humour, observing everyday life. ‘The Boy by the Kiosk’ is a subtle portrait of labor, unspoken dreams and hope waiting its turn. This poem won Third Prize in the Briefly Write Poetry Prize 2025.
Briefly Write 