one day at the zoo

The gate squeaked like a sleepy lion when we pushed it open. My nephew, Tayo, had one rule for the day: “We stay until the monkeys get bored.” He was five and wore binoculars he never used.

First stop: giraffes. Their necks moved like slow elevators. Tayo pointed and whispered, “They’re eating clouds,” because the acacia leaves were that high. A zookeeper named Mama Bisi laughed and said, “Clouds taste bitter.” She let Tayo hand up a branch. The giraffe’s tongue, purple and careful, took it like a secret.

By noon the heat had turned the paths into soft tar. We bought...