NANA AFADUA OFORI-ATTA
Code Violation
code violation audible obscenity
they don’t say it out loud
but it shows in how they announce your name
in how they nitpick the state of your bench / your comments
you were never meant to compete
in the script your name is scribbled next to the journey man / the pigeon
code violation racket abuse
they have a freedom you aren’t afforded
a liberty they never bestowed on Ashe
things have changed / things haven’t changed
their attempts to ostracize / to supress still linger
they break rackets / kick boards / berate umpires
they calling it having a personality / it’s not when you hit trick shots
code violation black person
Nana Afadua Ofori-Atta is a writer and poet from Takoradi, Ghana and a huge tennis fan. Her writing has appeared in Lolwe, Fantasy Magazine, AFREADA and elsewhere. She can be found on twitter @afaduawrites.