How Did You Come to Like Beer?
Ehae Longe
A bottle of Star?
It’s quite uncanny —
You have now become
Like my father’s friends,
Or your father’s friends,
Who offered us innocent sips
From their foamy glasses,
Laughing as we coughed
And smacked the bitter froth
From our lips.
You look like a child to me,
As you lock your eyes tight,
Washing food down with a drink
You somehow still can’t hold.
I feel I must let you know —
You’ll still be a man even if
You only like the taste
Of sweeter things.
Ehae Longe is a writer of poetry and prose. She also works in finance in International Development. She grew up in Lagos and moved to London in her late teens. These dualities — of passion and of culture — form an important part of her identity and inspiration. She formerly ran a writing platform called inktippeddreams where she shared her writing and responded to fortnightly prompts alongside the audience. Her writing has been published on the digital platforms of Brittle Paper, African Writers and BellaNaija.