Against All Odds by Thandeka Gonde

Image - biyokulule.com

Break the ice cold silence
Not a woman's heart
Bruise not, oh shameless one
The tenderest of her feelings
She's seen all kinds of weather

Yet she stands tall and dignified
Battered and disgraced,
Tried by the world, the unjust judge
She still stands, unwithered
She crumbles inside
But they still gather in her shadow
Deep into her soul,
The pain has burrowed
And sorrow fills the hollow
In the nurturing soil of her soul
You sowed seeds of bitterness
Exchanged her dreams for emptiness
Yet she lingers on
For they gather in her shadow
The little ones look up to her
When the heat of your temper terrifies them
Know ye not oh shameless one?
Should she wither in the heat
Like the tender flower that she is...
A nation withers away with her???

Who Am I? by Mgcini Nyoni

Who am I?

A wife?

My mother’s daughter?

An employee?

A girlfriend?

The other woman?

Another ‘hot’ girl

in mini skirts

and skin jeans

and high heels.

What do I have?

An abusive husband,

A university degree

that hasn’t helped;

a lascivious boss

sees no  further

than the ‘sexy’ thighs.

Mother :

 hold on,

men are like that my daughter

marriage is not easy

Hang on

It’s going to be alright

What about his cheating ways

His abusive language

His neglect?

Who am I?

 a woman

 important.

All blind

to my importance

my work

my dreams

my aspirations

Who am I?