Sapeurs are part of a Congolese subculture of dandyism whose origins carry an anti-colonial sentiment. Cobalt is an essential ingredient for electric vehicle batteries.
1.
In yellow pants
_____with red cane
green glasses
_____with sparkles
purple shoes
_____with stars
starched white shirt
_____perfect creases
this lone sapeur
_____of the Congo
traipsing over mud
_____sidestepping hogs
scoops up looks
_____from all around
feet on ground
_____floating
2.
10 kilometers away
_____a cobalt pit
800 meters deep
_____4 kilometers wide
6 kilometers long
_____200 dump trucks
twist up and down
_____the orange pit
layer by layer
_____skimmed off
pile after pile
_____scooped up
hauled dumped
_____onto barges
Eurozone bound
_____green energy
3.
In velvet slacks
_____a white top hat
a blue cape
_____with half moons
gem-studded belt
_____pink fitted tee
leopard loafers
_____with platforms
this lone sapeur
_____of the congo
swerving through goats
_____greeted by children
tipping a top hat
_____skipping a step
rounds of giggles
_____skyward fading
4.
Before barges
_____train carts
militias
_____three four five
deny passage
_____allow passage
take a cut
_____rule villages
press girls
_____take a cut
abscond boys
_____fanaticize
festooned in
_____Eurozone rifles
American jeeps
_____Chinese radios
5.
In red trousers
_____gold suspenders
platinum shades
_____black & white
checkered shirt
_____sheepskin coat
boots and belt
_____denim bow tie
this loan sapeur
_____of the congo
dodging jeeps
_____skipping puddles
onlookers winking
_____everyone thanking
renewable gents
_____jaunting home
6.
Before dump trucks
_____giant tractors
before tractors
_____weary men
at the controls
_____lack training
collide flip
_____villager crushed
whisked away
_____spreadsheet refreshed
in Beijing
_____haggle in Brussels
about license in Delaware
_____expanding pit
uprooting village
7.
In olive slacks
_____tartan suitcoat
black wool vest
_____thin orange tie
umbrella twirling
_____28-hole boots
burgundy shiny
_____silver eyelets
this lone sapeur
_____of the congo
mesmerizing
_____global gazers
via video
_____French satellites
streaming bits of
_____base reality
