how to drive a tank and others tips for modern gentlemen

Poetry by Clifton Gachagua

first time i came across a beluga whale i had no hands,
found myself thinking about harold pinter, the whale was thinking about
the dreams of other fish,
so caught up in the funk that it thought i was six, again.
 
‘towards nothing’ — what shall we say, are the remains
of the day?
 
my white whale is a recurring dream.
i will not see doctors,
doctors will see me.
 
somedays the extremities are cold –
two shots of coffee and i’m ready to go.

Clifton Gachagua

Clifton is the author of Madman at Kilifi and appears in a chapbook box set, Seven New Generation African Poets. His work appears in Africa39, Manchester Review, Africa Writers Trust, Saraba, Jalada, Kwani?, Harvard Divinity Journal, Poetry Foundation, The Gonjon Pin and Other Stories, AfroSF, Sunspot Jungle, PEN America, Enkare. He is associate editor at Down River Road.