Young poet to launch romantic book

A Malawian poet, Blessings Mhura, will on Sunday launch a romantic poetry book which has been published in Netherlands.

In an interview, Mhura said the book, The Seed of Handwritten Love, is will be launched at Kwa Haharaba Art Gallery and Café in Blantyre.

Mhura is the son of poet, playwright and English teacher Lennie Thengo Mhura, from whom he draws inspiration.

Last year, the young poet said a Netherlands-based publishing company discovered his poetry online and offered to publish it.

“It is my first book to be published since my mother transferred poetic genes to me. You know, I developed passion for poetry while I was in her womb,” said Mhura.

He wrote his first poem Nobody Feeds You at the age of nine.

“Basically, Nobody Feeds You talks about the need to work hard. When I showed my mother the poem, she was surprised because she never expected that I could write and recite poems just like her. She could not realise that the poems she was reciting to us in the family motivated me and that I was practicing behind the scenes,” said Mhura.

When he turned 15, he embarked on a serious poetry journey which resulted in the compilation of a manuscript.

However, his mother was surprised with the romantic nature of Mhura’s poems when he gave her the manuscript for editing.

“Needless to say my mother was curious to know why I am writing about love. But I told her I am just fascinated with this thing called love. She said I was too young to publish love poems and that I should wait until I reach my 20s. Hence, I waited until this year when I turned 24 to publish my first book,” said Mhura. n