JUEFTE MBOYO

Past eleven, and the sky outside is clear and cold against the pane. In Kisangani or London, the late hour always asks the same question of the body: what tension did you carry that didn’t belong to you? Unlocking the jaw, letting the weight drop through the heels into the boards. You don’t need to hold the room up. It stands on its own.

Journal · 8 oct. 2026

The October drizzle brings a chill that wants to pull the shoulders toward the ears. It is an instinct I catch and release right away. Papa Elanga always reminded us that cold weather tests your skeletal habit—if you contract against the air, you lose two inches of breath. Sitting at the table this afternoon with hot tea, I let the ribs widen and my neck stay long. Warmth doesn’t come from clenching; it comes from circulation that has room to move.

Journal · 7 oct. 2026

The balance rod leans against the wall, its surface smoothed by years of contact. Balancing it across my shoulders isn’t an exercise in force—it is a lesson in symmetry. If the left side tightens even slightly, the timber tilts, showing where the spine has yielded to haste. The body cannot pretend when a straight line rests against it. Tomorrow before dawn, thirty minutes of silent alignment will reset the frame. The wood never flatters; it simply tells the truth.

Journal · 6 oct. 2026