Rhoda

March 28th, 2006

Rhoda is my Baouli friend with whom I grew up as a child. They called us “chocolate and vanilla”; our lives were inseperatable. I admired her beauty; her lovely dark skin, neatly braided hair, tie-dyed native wrap, and strands of colorful beads. I tried to dress like her. I admired her skills; balancing a bucket of water on her head, carrying a baby on her back, pounding her yams with a wooden pistal, dancing in rhythm to the drums. I tried to imitate her. Rhoda was my idol, Rhoda was my friend.