Poem of the Month: "The Naming of a Child" by Togara Muzanenhamo

18 May 2013

The Naming of a Child

It began with a leisured cycle of turning strokes,
every breath drawing on syllables, her name dug
from each jab stirring the brown muddy water.                    
An upward glance took in bare skies, corncrakes                  
weak on the wing, the slow light of dusk - slug                   
-silver. Stroke after stroke, warm turns of water                   
rippled back to quiet mud banks where plover                      
struck short banded wings to taste the inverted sky.                        
The sun fell bald with thoughts of our daughter                   
swimming deep in your womb, arms turning over
with mine till depth drew me to stop and look up
and hear nothing but starlight crowning the sky.
There, in the music, she was named, deep in the cup
of the burnt valley where sound worships water
and flows into the cradle of every villager's arm,
the sweet consistency of life, expectant and warm.

The lake where Togara Muzanenhamo conjured his poem.

Togara Muzanenhamo, farmer and poet, tells us about the inspiration for his poems

City or country?

Although cities can be interesting and beautiful, the countryside has always appealed to me. A favourite pastime of mine is walking. As I walk my mind is able to relax and my thoughts become more fluid.
 
"Spirit Brides", your first collection of poems, reflected travels around the globe. Where are you writing about now?
 
After my first collection, "Spirit Brides", I felt a need to write about home and began to focus on rural themes and country life. I wrote a number of poems (including this one) set against the backdrop of Zimbabwean landscapes.
 
Your words reflect a deep intimacy with the materials of this earth, is that something you want to share?
 
It would be nice if that came about. As much as the writing of poetry is an intimate process, I believe reading poetry is the same - and the reader must be engaged by the words, images and sound in an intimate way.
 
On your farm what are the pressing environmental issues?
 
A constant issue of concern is deforestation in farming and non-farming areas. Over the past few years a lot of destruction has occurred with the clearing of land for fuel and cultivation. There have been a few initiatives that aim to educate the young and old to bolster a culture of growing trees. I'm grateful to hear that each year we are planting more trees than the previous year; I believe nine million was the tally to last year's tree planting season.
 
Togara Muzanenhamo's first book "Spirit Brides" is published by Carcanet Press. "The Naming of a Child" will be published in a new collection due in 2014.