On Seeing a Picture in Life of a Child Gone Hungry in Biafra

I thought the childwas merely fat—

puffy about thewrists and ankles—

until I saw the gauntgrey cage of his chest

gone weak,attempting

to stop the constantgrowing in upon himself

which threatened alwaysto make him vanish

into slogans:

a kola nut for pennieskills hungerfor twenty-four hours.