the flower of the month was in crisis. at first,
the heading of the article startled me. it said,
‘mums are not flowering’ and I looked again,
realising I was reading a gardening magazine
with closed chrysanthemum buds displayed.
it was November, the month our love bloomed
and I wished we could give a petal or two away
to the poor chrysanthemums. you laughed, said
I was silly and that I should just pray for rainfall.
I did. I prayed all week. chanted ‘rain, rain, rain!’
& the chrysanthemums flowered that Saturday.
rain is another name for love here, I am certain,
because I am in our old garden kneeling, again.
this time for us, for love to grow in your heart
again. I will chant “love, love, love!” on a night
in mid-February; out of season but just in time
for a few chrysanthemums, and maybe, for us.
Nkateko Masinga is a writer, performance poet, publisher, TEDx Speaker, 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow, World Economic Forum Global Shaper and 2019 Ebedi Writers Fellow. Her written work has appeared in Brittle Paper, Kalahari Review, U.S journal Illuminations, UK pamphlet press Pyramid Editions, the University of Edinburgh’s Dangerous Women Project, and elsewhere. She is the founder and managing director of a publishing company called NSUKU Publishing Consultancy. Her work in performance poetry has received support from Pro Helvetia Johannesburg and the Swiss Arts Council. She is currently the Contributing Interviewer for Poetry at Africa In Dialogue, an online interview magazine that archives creative and critical insights with Africa’s leading storytellers