in the land of abundance...

My beautiful Africa, my land, my fields
the mud walls of my hut
the lantern in there, the shadows on the wall of my people
the smell of the familiar cooking
rice and meat and vegetables
ah, the maize too
delicious, he says

the mattress here hurts
the lights, the comforts
he would turn them in for home
He does not understand America
they pass by him
never acknowledge him
the white men, women
they smoke together, they go out together
they never ask him
he smokes by himself thinking of home
how they all shared stories
and cigarettes too

this is different
so different it confuses him
he does not how to behave
they tell him, no advise him
smile always, say thank you always
and ask "how are you?" always, to anyone on the street
weird, he thinks

can't go back, he says aloud
so that he can hear it too
but this is not home, he says in a meek voice
lest they call him ungrateful
for all the mercy they showed in the promised land

he eats well here
but he does not relish the taste
at the stores, he sees big eggplants, big onions
abundance is America, he feels
by the dumpster, he sees them throwing away doughnuts, pizzas, everything
he could feed so many back home with all that
can he just take them home?
no, they tell him
they can't, the law does not permit them
he argues
i will eat them, it will be dinner for me, my children, my neighbors
they cost so much, i can't afford them with my minimum wages
no, no, they repeat
what if you sue us? what if this food is bad?
no, it looks fine
don't throw it
i starved for many days
i drank urine, chewed leaves
on the way to kenya
they throw it nonetheless

he gasps
can he redeem them from the garbage after they leave?
yes, of course, the heart cries out
the mind says...no, don't
In America they don't do it
they would call you uncivilized if you did

and he walks away
with a heavy heart, with a guilty mind
my people there
oh, i know how they survive
so many have never tasted a doughnut
never dug their teeth into the cheesy layers of the pizza
wonder what they would say