By Majekodunmi Oseriemen Ebhohon
THE president counts the pens
in his drawer.
He lines them up
from longest to shortest.
He looks across the desk
at a protest
on the screen,
and presses the mute button
on the remote.
The crowd moves their mouths
without a sound.
He stops to watch
a fly
on the windowpane.
He presses it
into the glass
with his thumb.
He uses a page
from a report
to wipe the fluid.
A list of names
disappears
under the smudge.
He picks up the next pen
and checks the length.
