The Second Day of Class by Donal Mahoney

This sylph came forward

from the second row

the second day of class

and asked if

I would edit her poem

so it would read

the way it should.

I told her straightaway

that even though

this was writing class

and I was the instructor,

I couldn’t edit her poem

and still have the poem be hers.

Editing her poem, I said,

would be a little like rape,

just painful in a different way

whether she understood that

yet or not. 

Conflicted by Tsitsi Gumbo

'forever,' he said
'I’m scared, oh so scared,' she said
he said, 'sweat blood I will for you'
'eternity then,' she said
so boat set sail

founded with tears
'longing' holding 'fright'
crashing at infancy as it were
he said, 'you shine no more! I 'eurika-ed' new light'
...................she said
as a calm storm raged inside her
battering her,
cutting off her anchor
sinking her ship
so she bobs on aimlessly
hoping.....hoping.....
'eternity then?' she asks
...............he says

Awakening by Elizabeth Vavashe

One more breath drawn from the wintry air

Yet another day, douse in stupor

lost in tangling nightmares dark

never to wake from deep slumber

Sleep, sleep poor dead corpse

Sorrows heap and cloud your face

though you draw the breath of life

slumber in your lungs draw empty air

Swing to life a sprout of spring

vibrancy and resonance like the cry of a newborn

awake the slumber of your sleep

Past dawn, this a new day

Groan with the discovery of day

the dreams of yesterday haunt today

casting shadows as though she lived

awake as from the death of history

One more breath from summer’s heat

spring is here, let down your hair

Deep, deep, let loose a sigh

Today is today, let out a scream.

Neo Soul...Monday Nights by Zibusiso Mpofu

It's Monday Night again
Can't chase the blues away
Hard working days
And my thoughts, a million miles away
The DJ is on again
Lifting my spirits sway
Into the sound clouds of reverberation
Conversation and monotone accumulation
Appreciation of  catalysed reactions
Forming sounds booms
And beats abounding at beat of my
Boomingly beautiful mind
These neo soul sounds
Soothe my saturated soul
Swaying it back and forth
To  soundless times in my mind's eye
So I'll dream, dream songs
And dream worlds
Drown baseless thoughts
And just...escape...
It's Monday night again
Can't chase the blues away
The DJ is on again
These neo soul songs
Soothe my spirits say...

The Letter by Paidamoyo Muzulu

I can’t remember when I last received a letter
The envelope was sky-blue and had a foreign stamp

The address was scrawled in tight and flowing long hand
My mind went racing.

Slowly and composed after a thorough scrutiny of the date stamp
I gathered the willpower to prise it open.
Yes, inside was the sweet scented long feather-weight ivory writing pad.
The handwriting was controlled, tight and flowing.

Each sentence was carefully constructed,
The diction was near perfect as the syntax.
It was written in an enthralling and captivating descriptive language,
But still simple enough to convey her emotions.

I envisioned the writer serene on her desk,
Her slender and lovely hands scrawling away.
The letter carried the tenderness of her feelings.
It was simple yet powerful.

Reading the emotional signing off,
My mind wandered to new forms of communication.
No email, text or chat message had moved me like this before.
The letter had a mystic gripping aura.

I gazed at the ceiling and shook my head to clear it.
I searched my drawers for the long forgotten pad and pen.
Emotionally, I scribbled in a daze blotting the plain pad.
I crumbled the blotted pad and started again, more composed.

Wrote slowly, concisely and legibly,
I let my hand translate my emotions into words and images.
I infused tenderness and seriousness of thought on paper.
I signed off at long last with satisfaction at my handiwork.

Carefully I addressed the envelope,
Tenderly took it with a merry heart to the post box.
I sighed as I dropped it,
Praying silently it would be received with eagerness.
Hoped it would be delivered in good time still carrying my frozen emotions for her thawing.

Womb Of Eve by Mercy Dhliwayo

Bound by the curse of Eve

I am woman

Beautiful, black, sun tanned

The one whose skin would not respond to no skin lightening cream

Beyond these black spots and patches on my face

Is a representation of Africa’s forgotten race

My heart beats at an African drum pace

As I embrace

The earth; the seed of my birth

My heart beats with an African bongo rhythm

Echoing sounds of ancient mysticism

That lies hidden deep within the belly of the garden of Eden

My blackness deeply rooted within this soil

The very existence of my womanhood

The soil upon which Nehanda stood

As her sacrificial blood streamed deep into the veins of

Earth’s life giving artery

Nehanda forever shall stay part of me

Hell; I am Nehanda Nyakasikana in disguise

Within my blackness and femininity is where my strength lies

Black and feminine I am woman

Not just a woman, I am Africa; the womb of Eve

I am the womb

I am Eve

Mother of life; mother of all that live

Within my womb I came to conceive

The son; the man; the seed; the world

My sons come forth and discover the tunnels and voyages

of my femininity

Rediscover my ever bleeding wounds and let them nourish earth fertility 

Let my menstrual flow flood your rivers and oceans

Take a sip of this potion

Rejuvenate your spirit of black consciousness

That lies on the verge of erosion

Navigate my seas and discover the roots of your true origin

that only can be traced back into the womb of a woman

my daughters and sons come forth and receive the poetic baptism

of  my immortal mysticism

suckle from the breast of my infinite wisdom

For I am the word

She, the ‘WO’ who came before the birth of the ‘MAN’

A woman is what I am and Africa is who I am

I Was There by Rudorwashe Kanukamwe

I was there

while he breathed heavily

on top of me.

I saw the cruelty in his eyes

when he was on top of me.

I struggled under his arms

as his mind pushed for one thing.

I felt the pain and betrayal as he tore my legs apart,

and thrust into me

I heard the words he said,

which I won’t repeat for the dignity of my writing,

and for the dignity of your reading.

But I was there

and now I am here,

hopeless, helpless

wondering how to tell my fiancé

about this disillusionment of myself

and that I was there

saw him and felt him.

Tears of My Sentiments by Rudorwashe Kanukamwe

Even some repeated the Lord’s prayer,

as if they could not see my anger,

while l struggled to hold an emotion.

I heard them in a new light,

a kind of divine administrator for my vengeance.

My tongue is full of fire,

while my teeth are full of stone.

This vengeance has turned me into a stone woman.

this naked vengeance,

where the bible that blessed today ‘s birth,

is used to curse another life.

Yet some kept repeating the Lord ‘s prayer,

as if they did not see,

they clearly said, ‘Amen,’

‘Amen,’ while my daughter cries,

and her tears drop on the pastor’s conscience.

Who clearly repeats the Lord’s prayer,

as if he can’t see or hear,

the tears of my sentiments.

Conscious Victim by Tsitsi Gumbo

I falter on this path I chose
your bitch; confirmed
you piss I drink

still my tail wags
as you advance
deposit...
reject...

Happiness and Depression By Matilda Moyo

Happiness and depression
Lie side by side
Like twins in the womb

Feeding off the same system
Each trying to get the best of the being

Like two sides of a bean
A dichotomy of opposites
Battling for attention
They co-exist
Trying to control feelings
And striving to dominate

One moment
Happiness prevails
Refusing to be put down
Yelping like a puppy
Nibbling at the ankles
And prancing excitedly

Then depression pushes her aside
And takes over
In her overwhelming way
Like a snakebite
Releasing her venom
Through the veins
And clouding the day

How can it be
That two so diverse
Can co-exist
Tugging at each other
Striving for control
Like Jacob and Esau
In Rebecca’s womb?

In Limbo by Mandla Nkomo

Love me:
Take a moment to show me you care
Do something extraordinarily nice if you dare
Or something simple to let me know you're there
Your gift or act does not have to be expensive or rare

Just something thoughtful and personal that we can share

Hate me:
Let me know that in your heart I have found no place
Spare not don’t disguise the truth by some act of civil grace
But shoot straight and tell it to my face
Fear not that I may suffer shame, dishonour or disgrace
Let me know without a doubt or lingering trace
That I may not waste anymore of your time or take up your precious space.

Just don't ignore me...
Do either between loving and hating
But please don’t leave me in limbo... waiting
In an empty communication vacuum without relating
Cause that would be a death sentence, a slow suffocating

Led By A Gentle Hand by Slu Chilongo

Over the seas of

temptation, -

Past the many wildernesses of

confusion –

Under the clouds of

despair,

through thick mists of

jealousy,

By the fields of

hatred.

Above winds of

fear,

Beside tides of

betrayal,

Across gorges of

deceit,

There is no

Worry, sorrow, anxiety,

For I am led

Lovingly, closely, truly

By my Father’s hand.

Church?! by Philani Amadeus Nyoni

The devil dances a merry glee,
Dove-white suit, black-washed raven hair,
Tithe your bills and choir along, flock,
Birds of a feather sing together.
He owns the night and claims the day,
Where shall the wounded truth hide:
Evil struts where God once lived,
The Bible's distorted, misquoted,
The righteous disown it, shattered souls
And bleeding eyes, crouching hell and
Swooping owl. Roaming spirits
Raised from the abyss, darkness sweeps
About it leaps, his time is now;
Watch his cloak turn in the midnight dance,
Form is shadow, shadow's form
Black rains, black reins, black reigns.

7pm e#6 by Mgcini Nyoni

??? by Mgcini Nyoni

Photo by Mgcini Nyoni

The police pounced

they scattered

The street vendors

Dropping

avocados

tomatoes

chicken pieces...

And the two month old baby.

Almost

Who did I steal from?

She seethed

Where is the father of the baby?

I asked

Silently...

When We Meet Again... by Philani Amadéus Nyoni

Things we regret most are the chances we never took,

Those we love most are those that we forsook.

I don’t believe in living in regret,

So since I am not dead yet

When we meet again

There will be rain…

I will gaze deep into your bewildering eyes,

Then to relinquish my heart’s silent cries

I will tell you how I truly feel.

As an oath that the words are real

I will kiss your soft sweet lips

Where sacred water sleeps...

Country Cafeteria by Donal Mahoney

The two weeks

I spent in that small town

on assignment, I saw no blacks

except for two older women

regal in every way,

hair coifed in silver gray,

working in the Country Cafeteria.

They walked like pastors’ wives

as they worked their 20 tables.

White badges on their uniforms

announced in red their names,

their years of service.

They never said a word,

not even to each other.

They just took the cups and plates away

and wiped oil tablecloths pristine.

I took three meals a day in silence there,

the only place in town to eat.

I was the stranger in a suit and tie,

a city weed among stout farmers in old coveralls

who came to town each day to note 

“no rain yet” and “the corn is dyin’.”

Before each meal instead of saying Grace,

I wanted to stand and ask these ladies

as they bowed before the clutter on their tables:

If you have worked here all these years,

and lived in this town also,

where in the Name of God,

other than at home or church,

are you free to talk or laugh or sing

or clap your hands in emancipation?

Deathbed Confessions by Mandla Nkomo

As I lie here paralyzed by this disease that's claiming my life.
Clasping on to the hand of the woman who for the last forty years I've called my wife.
Poker faced I look into her eyes
Tears well up as I think of all the lies.
Through each one we stood by each other
This is not the love I was told of by my mother.
Yet I met this woman when I was a boy
My childhood sweetheart who brought me such joy.
The love of my life who said I'm her one and only
Death would rob us of this bliss And leave her lonely...

When she was twenty-four I was twenty-five
That’s when we wed the bliss we shared made me know I was alive
When she was thirty-three I was thirty-four
Five children she had bore
Could any man ask for more?

Our lives revolved around our family
Our last child whose name is Emily
Has graduated from university
And now faces the prospect of life in the city
We gave them all the best money could buy
And taught them the all values and virtues to live by:
Honesty, integrity, transparency, truth and courage.

How can I look them each in the eye when I've been so dishonest
The double life I've lived as I built this love-nest
The smokescreens and facade that have filled our home
The lies and deceit are more than the plot to kill Caesar in Rome.
How can I tell them when I know this will destroy us
Maybe I should take it to my grave and not kick up a fuss

The six souls I love with all my heart
Are about to discover a truth that will tear us apart
I cannot believe I find myself in this predicament
My confession will leave such disenchantment
You see I've known all along
In this happy septet I'm the one who doesn't belong
I could have said
I should have said
I would have said
But I may have lost her if did
So I was forced to put it under a lid
How could I open Pandora’s box
And break the heart of one with such lovely locks
You see when it comes to reproduction I am like an ox
A debilitating disease in my youth left me unable produce an heir
This truth leaves a foul stench in the air
Who then is the father of these five?

Limpopo by Abel Phiri

Photo by Mgcini Nyoni

The winding rivers 

have thrust me on callous banks

of merciless nature 

of no familiar  men

nor land

no colour

Just bleak

and dark

and silent

and archaic.

of freeways

penis enlargement ads in public

of skyscrapers

I long for  

home.

Till we meet

again

in a democratic home

the winding rivers

shushed

raging relentless

and calm

she waits.

Into The Deep... by Heather Dube

Into the deep I plunge
in search of a thin streak of light
cutting through this darkness
blinding my sanity.
Into the deep I wander
through empty spaces
and crevices furrowed by misery.
Into the deep deep deep and deeper
I lose myself.
Darker it gets in this abyss
dimming the little faith I have.
Fading is my luminous beam
erased to haunting shadows
blending with this pitch darkness.
In too deep
lies a thick stench of oppression
ready to suffocate each breath I take.
Unforgiving and so demeaning
is this fathomless pit of depression.
A bottomless gulf
were winds of anger whirl
corroding the walls of my mind,
were once sweet memories lay
have been eroded to a delusive debris.
In this realm,
a domain of catastrophe
thunder rumbles with tornadoes spinning in
a hurricane.
An endless storm ever brewing torment
to my chamber of thoughts.
Fire blazing
torching emotions to ashes.
Inferno raging
a wailing yearn to be freed
from this vile vicinity,
as my wretched soul
simmers a sob to bleak slumber
into the deep.