Dissonance
Dawn isn’t quite broken yet
My timeline a jigsaw of transformation photographs
Before and after of shrinking bodies
Testimonials of calorie counting
Trending tab is self-starvation as weight loss hack
I move on to my Instagram stories
Swipe through this automated gallery of nano films
One holds my attention
A little boy without a shirt; scrawny
Ribs poke through skin; piercing
White debris scattered over his head; residue from the airstrikes
Veins pulsating tendrils; from neck to clavicle
Hands clasp aluminium plate
Plate turns gong
Mouth turns blaring horn
The bang interloping his screams in Arabic
Closed caption flashes across the screen
“Open the border, we have no flour, we want to live, we want to eat, no food, there is no food here, open the crossings, it’s been more than 70 days, and I haven’t had bread, for the grace of God dear world, for the grace of god, we want to eat”
His voice a cacophonic song; amidst the rubble
Copyright © 2026 by Wana Udobang. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on February 12, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.
“I am fascinated by the body, its perceived value and the facilitation of these ideas through technology. In our current global obsession around shrinking bodies, this poem observes the imposition of starvation and its manifestation across our social media feed. One, an imposition by the self and the other by war.”
—Wana Udobang
Wana Udobang
Wana Udobang is a Nigerian writer and performer. The recipient of a Camargo Foundation residency and the Ama Ata Aidoo Fellowship from Northwestern University, she lives in Lagos.