AN EXCEPRT FROM A POEM THROUGH A TOUGH YEAR

By Linathi Mabindisa

The shuffle of your feet sounds like the

Last whisper of a lover

Who is going to war never to return

And with that, I cling to my bed sheets for

Dear life and

I dampen them with my salty teardrops

That preserve the moments of relived

Human-kindness embroidered into my very soul.

You see, every time you leave, I keep a

Redemptive peace of your humanness

To store in my jar of love yet to be requited.

I know that deep down somewhere

Beneath all your raw lust is a twinkle of care

That keeps you coming back for who I

Rally am and not just your desire to

Explore the nether side of my equator.

So next time I unchain the door to let you in,

I silently pray that link by link,

I unchain what is left of your loving heart.

Look me in the eye as though you lost a

Lucky coin in there

And see nothing more than a treasure

Deep in the Mohorovicic discontinuity of

My very secret soul.