When I was a little baby,
waking you up in the middle of the night,
that was my hobby.
But all you said was,
“Thula- thula nana, Thula -thula sana lwam”.*
When I was five, I adopted another hobby.
Fiddling with your sewing machine.
But all you said was,
“Don’t do that baby, the needles and the
pins will hurt you.”
When I was ten, I got tired of the pins and the needles.
I figured out a more complex hobby:
Trying to cook without your permission, but you didn’t
lash out at me.
All you said was,
“It’s not time yet. You’ll get burnt.
I’ll teach you properly next year.”
Now I’m fourteen, I have adopted a new hobby.
Making you happy all the time.
I’ve seen how loving and patient you have been.
I wonder how it will be when I’m twenty- one!
I love you MAMA.
THABANG and LIZZY
*This means: be peaceful, my child.
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