for Kavira,
(the first Congolese to board a space shuttle is a rat)
i unfold
saliva teeth
gnaw at their flag’s skin
floss with the fat
i swelter
rabies, love
homeland’s got no food
yet, i fly
i devour
the sky
from the troposphere,
every human is a rodent
i rat
pray
for my freedom warriors
more bone than muscle
i ascend,
poverty’s defiance
already, love,
i split the sky.
Gracia "Cianga" Mwamba (she/they) is a Congolese artist based in California, by way of South Africa. She was a semifinalist for the 2021 Cave Canem Poetry Prize and NFSPS Board Award. She has also received fellowships from UC Berkeley's Arts and Research Center, Brooklyn Poets and a residency from Atlantic Center for the Arts. Gracia's intidisciplinary art practice is grounded in exploring black art as radical joy and critical protest.
While preparing her debut collection, her work can be found in Rappahannock Review, Berkeley Fiction Review and website (cianga.com). When not creating art, Gracia can be found streaming on Twitch, reading or consuming questionable amounts of chocolate.
