Nthano : A poetry by Matt Hewpoet

Stars shooting
Crickets chirping
Owls hooting
fear creeping

Padangokhala!

That’s how all the stories would start
“Tili tonse!” would mean we are listening
Not just with the ears but with the heart

It was more like a preview of a movie
Grannie’s words painting vivid pictures
Of leaders, ceasers I mean kings of the jungle
Accompanied by fun, fear & mostly lessons to teach us

To have things like love, respect & courage
But time happened nthano became heavy to carry with age
Generation after generation pushing it to the edge
Little by little all the tales fading with age

No more circling around the fire
Pabwalo pali empty should we say grannies have retired
They have grown tired of telling stories we never learn from
That they feel like tales are no longer required

Or should we say it’s just evolving of the minds
Or maybe the things being adapted by our kind
Tech and all that our hearts, souls, life do find
To be precious than other things that when others die we don’t mind

The value and weight they were carrying
The black label, our heritage, our tradition
Our status, our culture we have burried
Nthano who suffered a disease of age and transition