West African sepia

Recovering, the speaker answers with irony. He asks whether she means like plain chocolate or milk chocolate. She coldly agrees: that is what she means.

He describes his face as 'West African sepia' (a reddish-brown colour), which she does not understand. So he puts it more simply: 'brunette'.

Then he goes further, mocking the whole idea of judging people by colour: the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet are quite fair, he says, though other parts of him are dark.

He senses that she is about to slam down the phone. So he asks, politely: wouldn't she rather see for herself?

The landlady's words are printed in capital letters, to show her loud, harsh voice. The poet calls the phone call a game of 'hide-and-speak': they can hear each other, but neither can see the other.

The speaker's humour turns her insult back on her.