My baby chrysanthemum
Mama’s eternal chrysalis
Funeral song before birth
“For this child I’ve prayed”
Mama’s internal chrysalis
Enantiomers of her fierce
For this child I have paled
May light meet my wound
Enantiomer of her fears
Mama’s maternal crisis
May light eat my wound
Dissolve it into particles
Mama’s maternal cry is
A futile song for rebirth
Dissolved into particles
My baby and I, the mum
Nkateko Masinga is an award-winning South African writer whose work has been translated into French, Bengali, Kannada and Tamil. Her latest book, ‘Daughter Wound’, was published by Hazel Press in 2024. Nkateko teaches a poetry course at the Lolwe Creative Academy.