Mtende Wezi Nthara lives in and writes from Malawi. She currently works at the Catholic University of Malawi as an Associate Lecturer in the English and Communication Studies Department. Some of her work appears in Nthanda Review, Kalahari Review, and Suicide: A Collection of Poetry and Short Prose.
The Night
Doors shut, frightening yet comforting.
A sweet melody from a hungry mosquito lingers in the darkness
Like a loud quartet –
Organised yet irritating.
Quiet sounds, frightening yet comforting,
Grapple for originality
But are eaten up in vanity
As dogs bark at shadows of darkness.
Untraceable noises, still recognisable from the hushed voices of sleep
Slowly fading away
Into the silent night
Until dawn, at the shout of a neighbour.
Chronicles of the night in a ghetto.