Tamiko Dooley

On a summer’s day 
when I have to squint into the sky
I sink my front teeth into a momo.

It tastes of you:
salt and nectar,
one day longer and it would have

overripened. Today, it’s just right
but it’s not long
until I reach the core.

Brittle stone
scratches the tongue,
breaking my molars.

I always forget:
The longer I devour the flesh
the harder it hurts when it ends.


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Tamiko Dooley read Latin and French at New College, Oxford and was the winner of the BBC Radio 3 carol competition 2021. She’s usually found writing a poem about you, so don’t tell her anything. X @tamiko_dooley Instagram @dooleytamiko