"Time to become"
By: Zoliswa Bangiso, Grade 10, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School
I do not know
How to keep the white man's time
My mother taught me
The way of the Acoli
And nobody should
shout at me
because I know
The customs our our people
When the baby cries
let him suck milk
from the breast
There is no fixed time
for breast feeding
Children in our homestead
Do not sleep at fixed times.
When sleep comes
into their head
they sleep
When sleep leaves their head
they wake up
When a child is dirty
Give him a wash
You do not first look into the sun!
When there is no water
in the house
You cannot wash the child
Even if it is time
for this bath
listen
My father
is the wisdom of the acoli
Time is not stupidly split up
into second and minutes
it does not flow
like beer in a pot
That is sucked
until it is finished.
Untitled poem
By: Zikhona Nela, Grade 10, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School
My poem is about bringing yourself back from an unhealthy and dishonest relationship.
I'm that innocent girl you hurt a year ago
I'm that girl you thought would be miserable for the rest of her life
I'm that same girl who shut the door for people who wanted to love
and take care of her as some of them claimed.
I'm the girl you thought would never be able to love and be happy without you
I'm now not so hurt by your because I have found trust
found love and friendship in myself. That's why I said starting from now I will be my own best friend because I know that i will never disappoint me, myself and I.
Now without you, I am stronger, healthier and happy.
"Just Me"
By: Sindiswa Solani, Grade 10, Nathaniel Nyaluza High School
Nobody sees what I can see
for at the back of my eyes there is only me
And nobody knows how my thoughts begin
for there's only myself in my skin
Isn't it strange how everyone owns just enough skin to cover his bones...
My father would be too big to fit.
I'd be all wrinkled inside of it
And my baby brother is much too small
It just wouldn't cover me up at all
But I feel right in the skin I wear, and there's nobody like me anywhere.
4 comments:
To Zoliswa, Zikhona, and Sindiswa: This is wonderful work! I am so impressed by your use of language to express your creativity. Your poetry is so good (all three of you), I hope you keep writing and will share more.
Judy
Your thoughts, your stories and your words have selected me, much more than I chose them. The call to me: Listen, take notice and heed. It is a custom of my family to give a shorter name,a nickname. I hope to have not offened you, my kindred, my daughers of my mother's sister.
Zoli- I pray that you will learn to keep time but do not let the time keep you. I have learned volumes from you. I will allow time what it needs, itself.
Just like Sindi has reminded me that who better to fit in my skin than me. That is the one place we should all be most comfortable in, our skin. As young women you are already aware that the world wishes to make us strangers in our skin.
Nela-there is a song that says "Without the Creator we never would have made it." Know that your tears have watered the desert for your victory. You are more than a conqueror because you can help someone else because of the pain that you once suffered.
Thank you ladies, for allowing me to be selected by your words.
n good co and everyone,
i would like to thank everyone who read and responded to my poem because it took a lot of gut for me to admit that i got hurt and that my self-esteem got crushed. but now im happy and i have a lot of self-esteem and i even started takling to the guy's girlfriend who hurt me without feeling sick when i see her and one day at school we shared a laugh.
hello everyone,
im sindiswa. i want to say thank you for your response on my poem and im glad that i could remind someone that no one can fit her or his skin. a special thank you goes for my teacher jason torreano cuz he is the person who put my poem online so everyone can read my poem and your response made me not lose touch with poetry. i may not have the passion to perform the poem on stage but with your response i will keep on writing. maybe soon i will write another poem for you. thank you very much for your response and keep reading other poems. hope everyone is having a good day.
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