She knows not the force
Of the enfolding walls
But only sweet abandon,
Her yells pierce through
To all cities in the distance,
Her calls summon them to drink.
As dry as the desert rose,
She is a rhythm that slides
And slithers into
The coils of our souls,
She is not just the noise
But the spell to our enrapture.
She is the wildness of dreams
Like rushing waters of the gorge,
The mystery of the beasts
Which howl to midnight moons,
This is the drum
The call to war and to celebration,
This creation is untamed
And wild as its creature.
Kudzai Mhangwa is a Zimbabwean poet, author and performer. He is currently doing his Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Cape Town. He is the author of the short story collection ‘Moments In the Private Room’.