Nightfall is portrayed as a threatening person, evoking fear in those living in traumatic fear. The harsh repetition of the letter “d” throughout the poem emphasizes the sinister nature of the slums. The strong alliterative statement “ravaging him beyond repair” creates a similar malevolent tenor. “I am massacred “every night in the streets”. These two lines capture the emotional and painful damage caused by living and hiding in his "matchbox" house. the use of images conveys the dark, horrible and deadly setting in which one cannot live safely. This causes me great distress, because I am safe at night, while these people live in great fear of murder. The powerful verbs used by Mtshali like “eat,” “slaughter” and “ravage” emphasize the gravity of the city and the danger. this is established. This jarring diction not only shows the constant horror the locals feel, but also evokes disgust and fear in readers. Mtshali used enjambment in this poem to create dramatic pauses after substantive comments such as: "Darkness comes as if 'barking like a mad dog.' a dreaded disease' thirsty for my