it is said to be
though there is
a lonely quotation mark
up there

(would you give
your vote to a party
that lacks punctuation
my mother might ask)

a prestigious event
Amr Salie’s second
book on the shelf
(my he is 12 already)

I squint askance
at the semi-formal
dress code stipulation
and think now I must go
and look for a dress

(my Zambian Kaftan
will do I reckon
notwithstanding
our Mzantsi’s natives’
chauvinisms)

a prestigious event
a morning Book Launch
at the Central Library

light snacks included
(who can pass up
a free early lunch)

The Mothmen Files
a thriller says the invite
7 years and up only
(I might get admitted)

a prestigious event
Two Time Author
and World Book Day
2018 Poster Boy

Amr Salie it is
just before the library’s
own monthly Poetry Circle