Any phone number beginning +254 / is a trip wire / the phone rings loud / and long / in my hand / the map of the world pulls slowly in / or out / of focus / I do not answer / the voicemail greeting loops / samahani, mteja wa nambari uliopiga, hapatikani kwa sasa / in the kitchen I search for chapatis and lost accents / find only crumpets / snow on the window sill / when my new friends call / their phone numbers belong / local status 0 / I answer on the second ring / English can sound so curt and stiff / I say asante sana / forget they do not know this tongue on me / all the mangoes here have lost their sweetness / a man on the street points at the shape of Africa / silver around my cream neck / asks if I’m from there / ndiyo sounds old in my mouth / the way truths can gather dust when neglected / he tells me of a home I do not share / we find common ground in the red earth he describes / I am thankful / this man does not assume me tourist / some nights in bed / I dial numbers I know will go to voicemail / and lull myself into dreams / starlings rising