“Ode to the Cassava Tree”

by: Emmanuel G G Yamba

Grandma, bury your head inside the
earth, press your body against the

rocky soil. You stood segmented like
the bricks in a wall, between the maize

stalks and potato greens — arms
outstretched like the crucified Christ—

as if you’re in the wind whispering:
“Come and eat the fruit of my labor”

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Emmanuel G G Yamba is a Liberian writer and poet. He’s a graduate of the University of Liberia and the SprinNG Advancement Fellowship.