africa

Sometimes my body confuses me
coffee mixed with a healthy dose of cream
quietly whispering "africa"
whilst my flat nose, broad lips and thick thighs
scream that side of my genetic lineage
with all of their might

I pass by people separated from the "dark continent"
for many generations
yet they carry the features more strongly
and I look not of the man
who rejected the women of Wales
or of the Caribbean Indians
who succumbed to the smallpox brought from colder shores
by men like my ancestor Mr. Chapman