By Angel Joseph I wish you cheated, broke my heart in two,Left a stain so deep, I could hate you.I wish you lied, said cruel things in spite,So I’d have a reason to block you at night. But you were kind, and that’s what hurts most,No slam of the door, no haunting ghost.You walked away... Continue Reading →
By Dorcas B. Molefe The Fish Eagle radio newscaster Kantejang Kantejang announced on the 19:00 news that the Form 5 examination results were out. His voice was warm and pleasant. I had longed for their release but the announcement gave my heart a louder, faster beat and my head felt heavier than before. The newscaster’s... Continue Reading →
By Ronald Tlhokojapelo I. i. Every nation carries its secretslike the red mist that billowsfrom the half-glance of the sunat the break of a pocketed dawn. This is Kopong,where the shepherd has penned his sheep,each bud has begun to sproutand the grooms stand; their flowers plucked. A land began to breathe.Clothed in a cradle of... Continue Reading →
By Akim Mbwemanga The greater the pain,The more pleasant the gainBlood stains my soul, from all the vices slain.Tears fall,as I stand aloof in the rainFears crawl and endorse self-blame.I clear my throat as a thought lights my dome aflame –Tame the beast inside, to prey again,and pray,As I my soul regain. Akim Mbwemanga is... Continue Reading →
By Akim Mbewamanga We will bleed sweat and cry blood As all that we've worked for is squeezed into tears Fears die, as we drown in beers Dry eyes stare steadily as we shake Awake, in a world of pain Wishing for freedom once again. Akim Mbwemanga is a dedicated student pursuing a career in... Continue Reading →
By Teedzani Thapelo Beneath a sun cast cold by ash and smoke,I tread these paths, where once laughter woke.These mountains, once our haven, stand unbowed,But echo with the silence of the shroud.The land, once lush, lies broken, scarred, and bare,A canvas painted with despair.The plague, a serpent, coils in sunlit air,A whisper of oblivion, a... Continue Reading →
By Teedzani Thapelo In the bone-shard savannah, Where shadows writhe like famished pythons, Sun a cruel tyrant on a scorched and sutured sky, A symphony of dust drums on corrugated ribs of earth, and vultures write obituaries in thermals bleached of mercy.Here, madness weaves spidery webs with windblown thorn and fear, its canvas the parched... Continue Reading →
By Kate Mangope The sunset lit up with a range of ethereal huesUniting the people belowThe poor, the rich, and the in-betweenAll engulfed by the magnificence of the views. The unity the sky holdsBrings together nations as oneAll created by GodAll under the same skiesAll flesh and bones. Kate Mangope is an emerging poet based... Continue Reading →
By Valentine Butale The rain poured down relentlessly on the dark, empty alleyways that hid within Francistown's gridded streets and rows of storefronts. In one of the alleys, behind a fried chicken place, Neo sat in the front passenger seat of a Francistown Central Police Service Chevrolet Cruz, gawking through the windscreen at her fellow... Continue Reading →
By Pearl Mokgatlhane As the first droplets hit,I find myself bolting towards the door on reflex.I halt as soon as I reach the stoep.Perfectly manicured lawns, and concrete slabs stretch out for miles on end. This isn’t my childhood… I am struck by memories.Rainy days met with glee.Just like today,Many moons back my siblings and... Continue Reading →
Petlwana Journal of Creative Literature and the Arts 