1 poem

Josiane Kouagheu

my brother, my torturer (xiii)

January 16, 2026. Cité de Billes.
Douala. Cameroon. the night has

been a feast. i was the banquet of
my brother. he has once again, and 

again, cremated the cries of my body.
the night was a nightmare. for myself.

for the body. for the whole. a mournful 
knock. my brother has played with the 

last tears of my flesh. he has desecrated 
the last peals of my skeleton. step by step.

one drop after another. he has sprayed the
sleeping guitars, the toxic angels & rebels.

step by step. he has swallowed the lives of 
my feet and the smile of my hands. step by 

step. he has kidnapped the fragrance of my 
mouth and the joy of my stomach. step by 

step. he has padlocked the circulation of my 
throat and the strainer of my fingers. step by

step. and he has chopped my sleep into pieces.
one for the price of the pain. another for the space

of my aches. another for the length of my suffering.
step by step. the night has been a feast. for my brother.