Thendo's “Only This Much” will stir up all kinds of emotions

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The poetry of Thendo Savhasa has been published before. Her poems appear in various poetry publications, but to add to her joy and fulfilment as a poet, she published a new collection of poetry last year, titled Only This Much.

“It’s my first standalone book,” she said. “I am inspired by life, day-to-day encounters with different people, different kinds of relationships and just observations of how people interact with each other in this day and age.”

Most of the poems contained in Only This Much first found their entry into Savhasa’s personal diary. They were later polished by the author, in conjunction with an assigned editor, to ensure that the relevant poetic elements were fully injected into them.

“At some point in 2019 and 2020, my friend Veronica Ravele asked me to just share my diary in a poetry book,” she said. “I was a bit reluctant at first, but one of my other friends, Mr Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho, who is a publisher, read some of my work and just encouraged me to write.”

The writing process was no great challenge for her. “The flow was easy because most of the poems came naturally. Putting the words together was sometimes difficult, but I honestly enjoyed writing them,” she said.

The publication was first put on hold upon completion last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. “There was no determining how long this pandemic would last, and that was something no one had control over,” she said. “But I knew I was in control of when this book could be published and how it could be distributed. So, my book was finally published by Vhakololo Press, because the publisher believed in me and my work, even when I was in doubt.”

She said that people could expect to read about the different emotions that came with falling in and out of love, happiness and sadness, joy, and heartbreak. “This is just an easy-flowing book filled with emotions. You will laugh and want to cry at the same time when reading this book,” she said. “This is poetry in the easiest language. It is easy to understand and it can be comforting, encouraging, and motivating at the same time.”

Only This Much costs R120 and those interested in ordering can reach Savhasa at [email protected].

She is already busy putting the final touches to her next book, which is due in April this year.

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.