Superstition by Minji Karibo 2026
I know
that when a grumbling old woman
Is the first thing I meet in the morning
I must rush back to bed
And cover my head.
That wandering sheep on a sultry afternoon
Are really men come from their dark graves
To walk in light In mortal sight.
That when my left hand or eyelid twitches
Or when an owl hoots from a nearby tree
I should need pluck
It means back luck.
That drink spilled goes to ancestral spirits,
That witches dance in clumps of bananas;
That crumbs must be left in pots and plates
Until the morn
For babes unborn.
That it's wrong to stand in doorways at dusk
For the ghosts must pass-they have the right of way!
That when a hidden root trips me over
Fault's not in my foot.
It's an evil root.
That if I sleep with feet towards the door
I'll not long be fit
I know it—Yes I know it!
I know
that when a grumbling old woman
Is the first thing I meet in the morning
I must rush back to bed
And cover my head.
That wandering sheep on a sultry afternoon
Are really men come from their dark graves
To walk in light In mortal sight.
That when my left hand or eyelid twitches
Or when an owl hoots from a nearby tree
I should need pluck
It means back luck.
That drink spilled goes to ancestral spirits,
That witches dance in clumps of bananas;
That crumbs must be left in pots and plates
Until the morn
For babes unborn.
That it's wrong to stand in doorways at dusk
For the ghosts must pass-they have the right of way!
That when a hidden root trips me over
Fault's not in my foot.
It's an evil root.
That if I sleep with feet towards the door
I'll not long be fit
I know it—Yes I know it!
