Remembering him

A small pressure on your fingertips

You look down in mild surprise

Your gaze meets the large, outspoken eyes of a small, pointy face

The mouth is too small and teeth too large

A critical thought leaps before you can stop it

His hand is in yours, gently swinging back and forth

As if it were the most natural thing in the world

No words are needed

His wrists are too thin, his legs too skinny

As if they can barely hold him up

But there is a strength in his face that no one can deny

Confidence, charisma

Bundled into the body of a seven year old

‘Habari?’ you ask him anyway

And he looks back up at you with that wry smile

‘Aaaay’ he says in that way of his, one eyebrow up

But you know he’s not okay

You know he lives in a mud hut

A mosquito breeding ground

You know he only eats cassava

You know he is sick

Terribly sick

But he keeps on saying ‘aaay’ and smiling at you

He keeps on playing with your stuff

Asking for balloons

He keeps on helping with the work

Walking with you

Talking with you

He just keeps on

Keeps on going

Until one day it takes him

and there is no more ‘aaay’ with a smile

no one to walk with

It took him in the night and didn’t let him come back