Last breath before dawn

 There is breath before dawn
that calls you home to eternal solitude
you walked your way alone
faced with fearful odds
that none but you could ever imagine
for the smile was the holding center
keeping both misery and mystery on check

Life is never truly as blissful
as the silent flow of mutshundudi river
or as beautiful, as phiphidi waterfalls
with water gushing down full of hope
its a mystery, only fully discovered in silence
and your silence came before dawn

They see the anguish
and think there is more to be done
but the chapter folds and the book written
a dash of hope trampled to the soil
where meaning begins
in the depth of solitude
where no one can reach
unless its forever

But once for every man
a dawn comes that he will not see through
yours came like a thief at night
and it comes for all for all of us
to usher us into the true reality
a life in a box, slowly decomposing
until there is no memory
of the days spent in blissful delusion

But for you it came like a thief at night
and left us still hopeful
that the sting was an illusion
that maybe with the waning dawn
you would find your way back to us
for one more a smile
for one more a joke
for one more a secret
for one more a life shared in its fullness

But for you it came like a thief
and stole your last breath
before dawn

R.I.P Tovhowani Nevondo (died 17 April 2015)... a neighbor and a friend

Full moon

You are not a messenger of light

who, adorned with hope, light bright the skies above

You are a sun, borne out of darkness

a distant memory of life where darkness abide

to hide a murderous people

as they plunge upon their own

like a thief that comes in the night

Full moon, you hide their ashes 

slowly cooling off into darkness

that wrapt them since the last flame died

and the last muscle collapse into an ash

Full moon, you hide Kwazulu Natal

and its gory heart

a word spoken, a river of blood runs

over flowing to the nation

flaming after other nations

like a hungry fire in an odd morning

Consuming whatever it touches

who will wipe the tears from our brothers

who will comfort their wives and daughters

who will warm their sons' heart

when the dagger is held by our hand

Will the full moon go away

and expose a hearts draped with hatred

or will it stay forever

forever tucked in our black hearts

The last rites

The struggle continues
To hold on to your last breath
And journey back to the beginning
When you were full of slogans
And the revolution running in you
But the slogans grow faint
And at the last breath
No one remembers
How you towered above us
Always ready to lay your life
But far away from the machine guns
From the slogans and revolution
It is a dark moment
The hated priest searches deep within you
To see if there is light in your darkness
To see if it's time for your last rites
And he sees nothing
We are still landless

'Izwe Lethu' he solemnly prays

In memoriam Maxwel Nemadzivhanani
RIP 2015/04/01. Izwe Lethu