By Noah Vale She looks for a father’s love in your son’s armsravaging a spine of light in dark mattercheated out her dress by your son’s tongue After what had felt like a dreamin her innocence she’s rushed outonce the sun’s out And your son knows no betterhis hunger mistaking her body for love She... Continue Reading →
By Dr Teedzani Thapelo i stand here, lungs heavy with the ash of indifferencegrey tendrils curling like smoke from a fire that never coolsevery breath i take—half stolen, half given back—draws poison from skies that once held songbirds in dancenow crowded with the quiet choke of our forgetting. my chest feels the weight of cities... Continue Reading →
By Noah Vale I wrote a poem today and hated it And in its mirror, I hated me How can I love a woman when I grew up Thinking my mother hated me And how can I have a daughter and be the The father she needs A cruel reminder thinking a woman Deserves it... Continue Reading →
By Mofenyi Kesego Contemplative Fantah portrays a young man leaning towards and looking out of a window. The beauty of this moment is the ambiguity of the pose: it's hard to say if what engrosses him is something he sees outside the window or something that plays in his mind. Mofenyi Kesego is a documentary... Continue Reading →
By Sethunya Hlobisa Matsie The kitchen where you stand, Pots hot and stoves ablaze, With spices you incite, A mouthful of tongues that dance. The plants in your garden, Gently pruned, tenderly grown. The children who obey your commands, Are your gift to this earth. A bowl of honour, Set apart for life's commemoration. Those... Continue Reading →
By Dr Teedzani Thapelo i am adrifta body unmooredskin parched,dreams broken into shards of salt. the mediterranean whispersa monster without mercy,its tides are not waves but teeth gnashing, grinding relentless,pushing me farther from the land of my mother’s bones;the desert taught me thirstbut this blue mouth teaches me hunger. i came for the lightcities that... Continue Reading →
Petlwana is back from hiatus! You're most welcome to submit your work, but: PLEASE read the Submission Guidelines! They are not there for decoration! Reading them will give you the best chance to ensure that your work is eligible, and to avoid having to go back and resubmit. Do your part, and we will happily... Continue Reading →
Greetings to all our dear readers, and compliments of 2026! We want to let you know that Petlwana is taking a brief hiatus, but will be back soon. In the meantime, you are welcome to submit your work to petlwanajournal@gmail.com. Please note that it will take us longer than usual to respond, but we will... Continue Reading →
By Neelo Lentebanye I stayed up late,chasing whispers across blank pageswhile my soul begged for sleep.The journal stared back–its silence louder than my thoughts.I surrendered to the dark.Morning arrived with leheelo,the broom sweeping rhythm into the yard.The air carried the scent of wet soilfrom my mother’s blooming plants.She left for the fields with her friend,their... Continue Reading →
By Noah Vale A calling in flame and drumbeat.They gathered in silence older than bone,Around a fire that didn’t burn,But remembered.Ash and ember spoke my name,In tongues I hadn’t learned yet:YanguYanguYangu!The drums weren’t playedThey were summoned;Each beat, a footstep from the unseen.Each rhythm, a fingerprint of my past,Tapping at my chest chanting:Do you hear us... Continue Reading →
Petlwana Journal of Creative Literature and the Arts 