By Teedzani Thapelo In the bone-shard savannah, Where shadows writhe like famished pythons, Sun a cruel tyrant on a scorched and sutured sky, A symphony of dust drums on corrugated ribs of earth, and vultures write obituaries in thermals bleached of mercy.Here, madness weaves spidery webs with windblown thorn and fear, its canvas the parched... Continue Reading →
By Kate Mangope The sunset lit up with a range of ethereal huesUniting the people belowThe poor, the rich, and the in-betweenAll engulfed by the magnificence of the views. The unity the sky holdsBrings together nations as oneAll created by GodAll under the same skiesAll flesh and bones. Kate Mangope is an emerging poet based... Continue Reading →
By Pearl Mokgatlhane As the first droplets hit,I find myself bolting towards the door on reflex.I halt as soon as I reach the stoep.Perfectly manicured lawns, and concrete slabs stretch out for miles on end. This isn’t my childhood… I am struck by memories.Rainy days met with glee.Just like today,Many moons back my siblings and... Continue Reading →
By Fika Why do I feel so lostTrying to find my home but engulfed in frost?The relentless uncertainty overwhelming,Am I living in a simulation?Am I prey to emotional blackmail and manipulation?Why do I feel like a slaveTrying to stand but all I do is cave?The excruciating helplessness crippling… Maybe it’s all a nightmare.I desperately hold... Continue Reading →
By Gae Maduo “Here lies our beloved”It was meant to outlive usA legacy was cut shortBy one word on a white screen,Typed in red and ALL CAPSThen the sky knelt down.It became one with our pain. Tell me where dreams go,When they find out thatThey are brokenTell me where visions collapse and die.They are buried... Continue Reading →
By Kate Mangope You were my homeYour arms my safety net that I came home to each nightYour fingers that swept my tearsYour lips that whispered me reassurance and promises of your love My heart cracks more each day I don't get to call out to youMomIt cracks more as I have to figure things... Continue Reading →
By Pearl Mokgatlhane I wondered whether anyone had told his mother she carried a bundle of joy,Whether the transgressions of her life had passed to him through the umbilical cordOr perhaps he suckled those from her bosom.I wondered whether anyone had attended his naming ceremony,He carried such a morbid name with glee. We sat side... Continue Reading →
By Gae Maduo I used to write poems for my ancestors, We would chant them under the stars To the ravenous flames of a bonfire. Then I was told That it was evil to sing In praise of the dead. Now I write love songs for the moon, I recite them under the stars in... Continue Reading →
