As I walk down the street, 

the air starts to thrum from the sound of pop music, 

and it makes me feel alive.  

The smell of food--

baked fish, fried plantain, 

golden sugarcane, spicy suya,--

is everywhere.  

The summer air is warm, 

yet the breeze is light and cool.

It dances around me, 

blowing my hair, 

tickling my ears, 

whispering against my skin.  

A happy tune plays from the speakers standing on the sidewalk, 

and two little girls clasp hands.  

They spin in a circle, faster and faster, 

the light casting a glow

on their midnight skin, 

their laughter ringing in my ears.  

I marvel at the world around me:

The little girls laughing, 

the mothers humming to their babies, 

the food vendors calling, 

the breeze whispering, 

the silver moon shining, 

the steady sound of my heart beating:

ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum… 

I am in awe of the beauty of the nighttime, 

in this beauty of a place, 

this beauty of a country, 

this beauty, my home.  

Where?  

Here.  

Ghana.