Superbly carved, polished and primed to snugly fit no other body but mine
Once branch or sturdy trunk, your loving sculpted torso turned hull shines
Amber-gold in the distance, beckoning me to the chilly waters’ edge
I dreamed this invitation long, long ago knowing this river would deliver me
Seasons past uniquely reflected in each tree, now sheltering me from visibility
This voyage is solitary – that is the nature of it I understood even as a child
Wordlessly delighting in water, earth, wind, sky’s company, tossing my voice
Across strips of time, hearing it swallowed or hilariously returning to me triplefold
A little girl growing up yet deeper into her skin, continually stretching her concepts of self
Of being, I am wired for such journeying, senses curious, hungry, attuned instinctively
Joy-filled pursuit of as yet un-manifest possibilities, gratefully rooted in faith in the unseen
Stubbornly optimistic about the purpose and potential of humanity, I still defy disillusionment
Perpetuating buoyancy, this so-called naivety amidst acute awareness of all our destruction,
Our suffering, answering your call to carry me silently slicing through murky depths
Life’s many shadows, necessary deaths precipitating eternal streams of first breaths
I am here, abandoning all fear resurfacing from buried memory, wounded silenced ancestry
Carry me, I am here, willing, wishing, already afloat internally, teasing my old friend gravity
More interested in flowing than finding assurance of where we are going or when we will arrive.
Malika Ndlovu
Malika Lueen Ndlovu is a South African poetess, playwright, performer arts project manager and mother of three, She has four of her own poetry anthologies, besides her work being featured in several local and international publications.
Once branch or sturdy trunk, your loving sculpted torso turned hull shines
Amber-gold in the distance, beckoning me to the chilly waters’ edge
I dreamed this invitation long, long ago knowing this river would deliver me
Seasons past uniquely reflected in each tree, now sheltering me from visibility
This voyage is solitary – that is the nature of it I understood even as a child
Wordlessly delighting in water, earth, wind, sky’s company, tossing my voice
Across strips of time, hearing it swallowed or hilariously returning to me triplefold
A little girl growing up yet deeper into her skin, continually stretching her concepts of self
Of being, I am wired for such journeying, senses curious, hungry, attuned instinctively
Joy-filled pursuit of as yet un-manifest possibilities, gratefully rooted in faith in the unseen
Stubbornly optimistic about the purpose and potential of humanity, I still defy disillusionment
Perpetuating buoyancy, this so-called naivety amidst acute awareness of all our destruction,
Our suffering, answering your call to carry me silently slicing through murky depths
Life’s many shadows, necessary deaths precipitating eternal streams of first breaths
I am here, abandoning all fear resurfacing from buried memory, wounded silenced ancestry
Carry me, I am here, willing, wishing, already afloat internally, teasing my old friend gravity
More interested in flowing than finding assurance of where we are going or when we will arrive.
Malika Ndlovu
Malika Lueen Ndlovu is a South African poetess, playwright, performer arts project manager and mother of three, She has four of her own poetry anthologies, besides her work being featured in several local and international publications.
No comments:
Post a Comment