I wanted to take you to Kapirimtende,
to walk with you barefoot
on the holy sands
bathed in the waters
of Lake Malawi.
But the stretch
from Khwawa to Mwenilondo
won't let me.
A nightly pilgrim to our bed,
lying in wait for the dream
of you and me,
of our hands woven
around each other's waists
as we stroll through an avenue
of bowing palm trees.
Their fronds rustling
in the breeze
wafting inland
from the shores
of Kapirimtende.
But the stretch
from Khwawa to Mwenilondo
won't let me.
You remember yesterday
how our hands clasped,
then parted,
when the Sienta we boarded
from Uliwa to Khwawa
kept negotiating
with cunning craters
at Hara for a right to pass,
only to be bullied
into bending the rule
of keeping right.
Now you know
that the stretch
from Khwawa to Mwenilondo
won't let me.
What if we just satiate our longing here
over a piece of Kondowole?
Its steamy breath
tenderly skimming
our faces with its warmth,
as we lick Mbuvu broth
between the furrows of our fingers.
I'm sure we'll forget
that the stretch
from Khwawa to Mwenilondo
won't let us.
© Hamilton Chikhala 2026
May 12
May 12, 2026 at 7:03 AM UTC
I wanted to take you to Kapirimtende,
to walk with you barefoot
on the holy sands
bathed in the waters
of Lake Malawi.
But the stretch
from Khwawa to Mwenilondo
won't let me.
A nightly pilgrim to our bed,
lying in wait for the dream
of you and me,
of our hands woven
around each other's waists
as we stroll through an avenue
of bowing palm trees.
Their fronds rustling
in the breeze
wafting inland
from the shores
of Kapirimtende.
But the stretch
from Khwawa to Mwenilondo
won't let me.
You remember yesterday
how our hands clasped,
then parted,
when the Sienta we boarded
from Uliwa to Khwawa
kept negotiating
with cunning craters
at Hara for a right to pass,
only to be bullied
into bending the rule
of keeping right.
Now you know
that the stretch
from Khwawa to Mwenilondo
won't let me.
What if we just satiate our longing here
over a piece of Kondowole?
Its steamy breath
tenderly skimming
our faces with its warmth,
as we lick Mbuvu broth
between the furrows of our fingers.
I'm sure we'll forget
that the stretch
from Khwawa to Mwenilondo
won't let us.
© Hamilton Chikhala 2026
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