Shhh
Lalela
Lalela umsindo wokuthula,
Uyamemeza,
Uthi usuku luyodlula nezimfihlo
Nolanga akayikufa,
Uyovuka aphenduke inyanga
Qaphela!
Umlilo udla asuthe amandla akhe
Uzoxosha amakhaza
Naye aphenduke umlotha obandayo
Qaphela!
Ilangabi lomlilo alisoze laphumelela
phakathi kwamabili –
Yimpi yobumnyama nokukhanya
Naye ungumntwana
uyazilahla kunina – aphumule.
Hush
Listen,
Listen to the sounds of silence,
It is deafening.
It says “the day shall secretly pass,
The sun will not die,
He will resurrect as the moon”
Careful!
Fire will feast on his own strength,
He shall chase cold
And become smouldering ashes.
Careful!
Flames shall not make it to the early hours,
It is a battle of dark and light,
Flame is a child,
He yearns for his mother’s comfort,
To rest.
Noluthando Mkhungo is a 23-year-old poet from Margate, KwaZulu-Natal. She holds a diploma in Human Resources Management from the University of Johannesburg; where she also enjoyed poetry mentoring by Quaz Roodt under UJ Arts Academy. She is a recent graduate of Poetry under Current State of Poetry.
She has featured in an ebook called Mirrors: a series of surviving vol. 1.
She is a healer, hair artist and aspiring model. She is currently exploring IsiZulu spiritual poetry.