Boatbuilder in Asaba Market Lane After Rain

Wet cobblestones glisten under a heavy sky in Asaba, reflecting the gray midday light. A boatbuilder stands in a narrow market lane, his posture leaning forward as he grips a tool near a pile of wooden shavings. Overhead, canopy leaves filter the sun into shifting patches of brightness that fall across his weathered skin and the damp wood of his workbench. The sheen on the stone and the way the fabric of his shirt clings to his shoulders indicate the aftermath of a light drizzle. Rust-colored tools rest on a rough wooden crate beside him, their handles worn smooth by decades of use. A puddle at his feet catches the fractured light, mirroring the green leaves above. The texture of wet wood presses against the slick stone.