For the Trotro,
every surface is a road,
every junction, a bus stop.
Shapeshift into a horse, aircraft, mouse,
your morning frustrations.
Too reluctant or too eager to arrive;
reluctant when you are at risk
of receiving a second query for lateness.
Trotro strategic seating has a claustrophobic
passenger at the end of the aisle refusing to shift.
Trotro, you better not put your skin
on mine, filth.
Trotro negotiations and radio-inspired politics.
Trotro self-trained driver mechanic,
the door fell off mid-trip.
Trotro drivers with bad eyes don't exist,
never mind the ripe cataract.
Trotro sneezing cougher,
Trotro religious pharmacists have your cure
in a labelless bit of a bottle.
Trotro luggage is like Trotro love,
both are unbearable for others.
Trotro bed and breakfast,
cosy with lights always a blinding blue.
Riddle riddle: how does a mate make you faint?
Yesss, front.
Yesss, your name is the change you are due,
'5 cedis', yesss!
Glossary
Trotro: The general term for the commuter minibus in Ghana, mainly Accra. The name originates from the Ga word tro (a British three-pence coin), reflecting the fare from the 1940s colonial era.
Mate: The conductor or driver's assistant. They are responsible for shouting out the vehicle's destination, managing the doors, collecting fares, and returning change.
Change: The balance returned to you by the mate if you pay with a larger bill.
Cedis: The official currency of Ghana (GHS).
Caleb Karim Morton reinvents himself at every slight chance, but certain parts stay unchanged: a versatile writer from Accra, Ghana, a cat dad, and a biophile. In 2020, he was named one of five winners of Stream-Lyric's Black Writers on Democracy competition for his poem 'We Don't Know Them'. His work, Literally Everyone Now, appeared in Crucibles of Transition, an anthology published by Satura Journal in 2022. His pieces Quotes of Many Colours and Brace Yourself were subsequently published in Issues 1 and 3 of LGBT+ Rights Ghana's anthology. Caleb’s works are the lovechildren of a priest and a dreamer—intent on prophecy, manifestation, and remembrance
Photo by LekePOV