Congo, seen from heaven
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.