Beneath the moonlight, her secret stash
bespangles the rupasa in constellations of twenties and tens
freshly unfurled from reels like cigarette rolls,
some freed from beige G-cup bra probing her throbbing flesh
some from folds of her crimplene doek in paisley print.
Metallic taste of paper clips on my tongue, her percussion
enriched with tunes of our ancestry
my little fingers dancing to the chirping of crickets
as I bask in the warmth of our bond.
The mealies roasting over dying embers scent
the susurring breeze, and I turn them, or they’ll burn.
It’s been a long day in the gandiwa and
her matronly growls from the mukwakwa tree echo still
in the drought-stricken bani where we chase after her goats
and cultivate grains near the churu where our ancestors are buried.
She shoots a blank stare into the universe, as if she is no longer here,
her karmic contracts fulfilled, negotiating dates with Mudzungairi weshambo chena
who will usher her through when the time is ripe.
Riddled with sugar blindness, grandma purrs:
“Come closer and count my money where I can see you”
“But you can’t see, mbuya”
“These eyes can see what they want to see”
Also by this poet:
Samantha Rumbidzai Vazhure grew up in Masvingo. Her debut poetry collection, Zvadzugwa Musango, penned in chiKaranga, was translated to English – Uprooted. She has two published novels – Painting a Mirage, and Weeping Tomato, which won the NAMA for Outstanding Fiction in 2025. Her collection of poems, Starfish Blossoms, won the NAMA for Outstanding Poetry in 2023. She published her first children’s book, The Magic Greenhouse, in 2024. Samantha has also compiled a Zimbabwean women’s poetry anthology, Tesserae, and two short story anthologies by Zimbabwean writers, Turquoise Dreams and Brilliance of Hope. Find Samantha on: Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, Website