When I Brought Her Home by Rinzu Rajan

They called me a domineering dame
only because I refused to respect
the rule made for a woman
a cook, cleaner and baby machine
I couldn't have been
as Napoleon once wrongly said.
Never could I see men
as masters or a marriage
as mandatory
and I didn't mind if that made me
rude, arrogant or a vagabond.

And in a bid to stand straight
in my spine, for unsolicited advice
about matrimony was commonplace
etched on every inch of the wall
around my debris.
One May morning she came home
that cherub of a creature with
a glittering glaze and a sparkling smile
they protested at my decision
which they say is a folly of an error
I chose to change diapers
and sing lullabies to a parent-less progeny
rather than for the work of my womb
why still remains a question
perhaps it was my own way
of thanking the Almighty
for not rejecting me in refusal like her.

Requisition of Hope by Arielle Yaffe

We've got our lives to live
In spite of the memories we have
More painful than shattered limbs
Late at night, waking in tears
All those thoughts and too many years
Forced labour and depravation of youth
A thousand words cannot recount
The torturous moments by which we were bound
 
Our wishes are simple and often denied
The wish to be loved and granted respect
A little humanity would not go astray
Find a little empathy, forget about sympathy
Cause sympathy sees, but does not feel
And empathy knows the depth of what's real
All the things you said, all the things you did
Can never outweight... The beauty of what we've  become.

Insanity by Mgcini Nyoni

Insanity is
trudging the same
old path
bearing the same
old words
in search
of the same
old poisoned well
that has led
to the growth
of the ARV industry

Baling Wire by John Tustin

Gather up my love

like errant laundry

in your arms

and use an amalgam

of baling wire, paper clips

and bubble gum

to bind it into a tight ball.

Then toss the ball

into the darkest corner

of your heart

if you are not ready

for it.

I will wait for you.

I need to fight some ten-rounders.

I need to get swept overboard.

I need to get sideswiped in the gutter.

I need to find things

and lose things,

alone.

As the time passes,

my love may grow to hatred

and then back to love.

But I will wait.

Malnourished, malformed,

I will wait.

When you are ready,

retrieve that ball

of love, bubble gum,

paper clips

and baling wire

from its neglected corner

away from the light.

Unwrap it.

A love will be released

that is

dirty, damp, useless,

hazardous,

overwhelming.

For you.

Idle Curiosities? by Mgcini Nyoni

What’s underneath the towel?

You know?

as she sweeps the yard

in the morning

Nothing?

Lacy panties?

She smiled at me

does she want me?

We are all victims

of ‘idle’ curiosities.

So Much For Our Wars by Thandeka Gonde

Photo by Resta Nyamwanza

We’ve made our marks on the land

So they know we’re here to stay

We’ve strained our muscles taut

So they see how tough it can get

We’ll tug to the last ounce of strength

To prove how right we are

We’ll make them come to us

Our perspectives are better

We’ll make them cross the line

To prove they were wrong all the while

We’ll not cry like them

because we’ve always been stronger

We’ll tug with a grin on our faces

Because we’re in control

Of just one end of the same age-old rope.

The Half Naked Gardener by Mountjoy Mkhando

I was once a half naked gardener
I planted worms instead of flowers
The owner of the house
was so furious with me
he chased me wielding a stick

And then I went to another house
and there
I was welcome with great gusto
They told me
I was the only man in the house

I thought of planting sperms
instead of green vegetables
I thought of X and Y chromosomes
and the uterus
with a silver lining
I ended up chopping off all tomatoes
that were ripe and selling them
To blind nuns of Sibantukodwa Mission
They showed me their petticoats instead

My employer, seething and fuming
told me to go back
And come back a changed man
"repent at Vundu!"
"repent at Vundu!"

And don't repent at the
Ministry of labour and Social Welfare
Because your father was once a worker
and also used to be an employee at the same place;
that is all I have to say!!
Said the official

Looking Into The Future by Mgcini Nyoni

A white wedding

with a thousand

bridesmaids

and a million white doves

Perhaps

A horse drawn carriage

Vintage wine

and a decorator from New York

A skyscraper of a wedding cake

with a thick layer

of butter icing

Perhaps

A honeymoon in Mauritius

Perhaps

A honeymoon around the world?

Perhaps

A team of servants

in a twenty room mansion

All vanity

All that really matters is

plain happiness

Me and You.

The Lion and The Lamb by Praise Ndlovu

I have come to realise that there are two Mes

This has often put me ill at ease

How I came about I cannot explain

Maybe from the past, some deep childhood pain

Most likely from the societal pressures inflicted upon y gender

Wherever from, I wish I could just stamp: Return To Sender

There is the Career Centred Me

Success is my number one priority

I've grabbed the baton and I'm not letting go

Putting away all things that'll mess my flow

I've got my eyes on the finishing line

The much awaited, long anticipated success sign

Then there's the Me who is domesticated

Having a man who is fully devoted

To me. Marriage, children our blissful vision

To love and nurture each other our mission

Pregnant, barefoot in the kitchen. My deepest fantasy

Loving husband, secure marriage. All I can see

Is it lawful for these two to ever amalgamate?

Or it’s a sin, for when they merge they fornicate

Am I suffering from a Multiple Personality Disorder?

How do I draw the line, where is the border

Can I wear the trousers and still put on an apron

Or will it be a cause for society to frown upon

So here live I, Me, that is Both

A situation which I completely loathe

One day you'll meet Me, taking on Life

The next, I’ll be a sweet domicile wife

But I pray that the Lion and the Lamb that dwell inside

may one day live in harmony as they lie side by side