Cheron L'Estrange ~ You See

You see,

your voice

rolls around in my head

day after day

between all the flirting

and smiling

between the dressing-up

and breaking down

I still can’t

accept that you’re not around

Putting on make-up

and punching the wall

Did you mean what you said?

any of it at all?

A million kisses couldn’t keep you

A million squats can’t bring you back

They say I’m pretty

…but pretty doesn’t fix it

© Cheron L’Estrange


***
GRADE 9
***

Yuktha Singh ~ Let's Reach the Heights of Craziness

The illness of Honesty,
Leave it and come, run and come
My heart is warmly inviting you…
Let’s party all night.
Reach the heights of
Craziness for a change,
Throw your hands up into the air
And let the lights be dim.

I am a little spoilt
You too become a little spoilt.
I’ll take a step forward,
You too take a step forward.
Throw your hands up
Into the air,
Let yourself free for once-
Free from the wrath of sophistication.
Let the intentions be a little
Wild and crazy for
 A moment.

The atmosphere seems intoxicated,
Almost like alcohol.
All this intoxication that is spreading-
Let’s drink it up…
These intoxicating moments
Are making me excited
Let’s get crazy!

We’re in the age of Prime Youth,
Make some mischief.
In this age-
In the journey of the Heart,
What’s wrong and what’s right?
Let’s reach the heights
Of craziness for a change.
Throw your hands up into the air
And ‘Create’ till your heart’s desire-
Let the lights be dim…!

© Yuktha Singh


***
GRADE 9
***

Meleza Jali ~ Will You Wait

Every day I sit and wonder
Are you there?
Can you hear me?
I think about the unspoken words
Feelings not expressed

I ask for courage
To accept the things I can’t change
I ask for wisdom
To change the things I can

Every day I sit and wonder
Are you happy?
Are you proud?

Even though it is one day
Further since the last time I saw you
It is one day closer
To the next time I will

But now I know
You are there, you can hear me
You are happy, you are proud
Wait for me, as I wait for you
Now and forever

© Meleza Jali


***
GRADE 9
***

Yuktha Singh ~ Life

Sitting in a stifling, gloomy room

All by my very own.

It’s like I’m trapped in a cage

With extremely little space.

The person who left me here, is gone without a trace.

I seem to be losing my mind,

Going crazy…

As I still can’t find

What I’m looking for.

I see a ray of light,

Hoping to find success and freedom

But there You are in the doorway

Laughing and mocking me,

I’m trying to find a way out,

But something of immense strength is pulling me back.

I hope I find my way, find the right track.

© Yuktha Singh


***
GRADE 9
***

Cheron L'Estrange ~ Without You

So trashed

I can’t remember how to cry

but I’m talking to the walls about you

I won’t talk to you

I can’t make any sense

And what’s the point?

I was supposed to forget you

but you’re all I remember

All I think about

when I  can’t remember how to think

This trip is taking me to hell

Well, guess I died when I lost you

Now I die every day

And you’re the only drug I wanna do

Shaking, hot and cold

My body aches

And if this high had made me bold

I’d say I can’t live without you

I’d say I don’t want to

© Cheron L’Estrange


***
GRADE 9
***

Cheron L'Estrange ~ The Glass-maker's Grace

Then the Glass-maker smiled,

His fingers caressed the intricate design of the Wine-glass

in his palm

His chest swelled with pride

for the Glass’s every detail showed his skill

He had made many

Each with a unique mold

Passion in many tangible forms

The Glass-maker placed the Wine-glass

on his table

He loved to polish it and fill it

with the rarest of wines

Then one day a small boy visited the Glass-maker

The boy was rough and spiteful

He was handsome and cruel

And his very breath reeked of hatred

bellow the sugary surface-smell of mints

He derived a twisted sense of pleasure

from broken glass

And the Wine-glass fell

shattered into beautiful little shards

Destroyed

But love out-powers hate

And rescue comes

to those who listen

and those who find faith

in Him

Many hands are cut by broken glass

But the Glass-maker picked up

every shard

Then the Glass was refined with fire

And the Glass-maker’s blood mixed

with the Glass as it was melted

For the time had come that

the Broken-glass

should cease to be what was broken

and become what was made new

A new creation

As pure as a virgin

Clothed in red

Not by ignorance but grace

Its value given

by the Glass-maker

Purchased at the price of blood

© Cheron L’Estrange


***
GRADE 9
***

Nsiki Gwala ~ What Is Life?

What is life?
Is it being able to breath and eat?
Is it victory or defeat?
Is it nature’s birds that sing?
Is it the money, glamour and bling?

Is life being able to wake up every day,
Or waking up to clouds that are grey?
Is it a challenge to live for?
Is there victory behind that dark door?

What is life?
Is it a baby being born?
Is it that school bully you scorn?
Is it joy or depression?
Is it a need or an obsession?

Is life merely about wealth and money?
Or a big joke, just something funny?
Is life the beauty during a sunrise,
With it bringing new hope, freedom and surprise?

What is life?
Life is revealed to me every day,
As I tackle all challenges that come my way.
Life itself has a lot to give
And I have that life to live.


© Nsiki Gwala


***
GRADE 9
***

Cheron L'Estrange ~ Two Poems

Nothing

The sky is blank

and I just don’t know

I won’t even try

to get up

and so I lay there

on the ground, defeated

I do nothing

I become nothing

I watch everything roll away from me

I die as nothing

Because I was too afraid to live

© Cheron L’Estrange


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hands

Hands

and faces

Half lost memories

Meaningless traces

of a different life

A less beautiful lie

Left behind

Half familiar voices

and those known too well

calling back to life

dark and empty choices

A bitter, lonely hell

© Cheron L’Estrange


***
GRADE 9
***

Meleza Jali ~ We Are Girls

We keep going
Even with tears running down
We say the simple words
“I’m Fine”
 We are Girls

We live to the full
Sharing and giving
Bringing life into the world
We are Girls

We fall in love easily
For we see beauty in everyone
We laugh way too loudly
We are imperfectly perfect

We are pretty clumsy
We sometimes fight
And some days, nothing seems to go right
We are girls

Strong
Beautiful
Unique


© Meleza Jali


***
GRADE 9
***

Latifah ~ You're All That I See

When I look in your face
I know your heart has a place
For me there
And there's love everywhere

When I stand by your side
It feels good to hold you tight
Happiness comes in my heart
Sadness won't tear us apart

When we walk in the street
I get confused with the steps in my feet
With you I just go blind
See no one in front and totally behind

There's no one for me all around
Happiness with you is what I've found
I don't care what people do or say
I just love you more and more each day

I cannot see the light in the air
'Cos its covered with your hair
I cannot see a more beautiful place
That compares with the look on your face

If my love was so easy to describe
If my happiness was easy to bribe
You should go and take a good look
Read about my love in my poetry book

© Latifah


***
GRADE 9
***

Yuktha Singh ~ The Scintillating Night Sky

An eternal, shimmering night sky,
Like a stunning damsel dancing,
Glittering under the moonlight.
It’s the scintillating night sky.

The sparkling stars- her twinkling eyes.
They make our night lives brighter,
more livelier.
It’s the dazzling night sky that seems to go beyond our eyes.

The big, bright, beaming ball-
This is the moon way above us all.
It’s a glittering disco globe which dances and prances,
Beneath the scintillating night sky.

Her round, rosy cheeks are as red and perfect as Mars.
Her gorgeous, luscious lips are like the crescent moon.
It’s the entertaining night sky into which we stare
And sometimes even lose ourselves in.

The eternal night sky is like a thick, black blanket
With dazzling diamante scattered on her nightgown.
As for the cherry on the top, her dainty pearls that twinkle so subtly.
This is the eternal, shimmering night sky that goes beyond our imagination.

© Yuktha Singh


***
GRADE 9
***

Meleza Jali ~ The Power of No Words

I believe in Silence
For it speaks when
Words can not

Silence is the inner voice
The one we seek out for
When no one else is around

“Listen, Listen!” it shouts

Silence can heal
The wounds of loose words
No words, no sounds

Silence is the gateway
To a person’s soul
Rare and pure
Nothing more, nothing less

Where there is silence, there is peace
Where there is peace, there is love

The Power of No words

© Meleza Jali


***
GRADE 9
***

Yuktha Singh ~ Love Isn't Always Sweet

(Dedicated to a dear one)

You thought Love was always sweet
Hearts brightly coloured with the colour of Love,
But why do men always cheat?

I know every time you think of him, your heart skips a beat, but
The road of Love isn’t always smooth, it can be rough.
You thought Love was always sweet.

Many hearts face defeat.
From a blossoming rose, they transform into a mourning dove.
Why do men always cheat?

From a bright world, to a dull sheet and a dead beat-
Given to and broken by the One unworthy of.
I told you Love isn’t always sweet.

Every heart in love will either have to wake or sleep.
Sooner or later you will have to forget- let go of.
Why do men always cheat?

Flowers don’t blossom on every tree,
Stars don’t shine in the day-
Not everyone finds true love.
The mistakes we make, we should never repeat.
Don’t think that Love is always sweet!

© Yuktha Singh


***
GRADE 9
***

Nsiki Gwala ~ Snapshots

I’ll never forget 

I’ll never forget on your wrist that silver clock
Shining like the green light on Daisy’s dock.
I’ll never forget those blue-green eyes,
full of curiosity as if in search for a surprise.
I’ll never forget that sweet smile
That made the whole world wait a while.
I’ll never forget the person who you are,
Because you’ll always be my bright and shining star.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I do believe in fairies

I do believe in fairies,
Those that float invisibly over the prairies
With beautiful, glittering wings
Like the gold and treasure of many kings.

I do believe in fairies,
Those that eat wild, black berries.
With the speed of lightning they fly,
Spreading  the star-dust through the night sky.

Though the opinion’s of people still varies
The truth still stands- I do believe in fairies.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last night I had a dream

Last night I had a dream
Of a beautiful place it did seem.
I saw green pastures and blue skies
And felt the true love that never dies.
I saw a beautiful ship sailing by,
While hearing the mysterious noise of nature’s sigh.
I  saw the blue birds floating about with grace
Like the look on a beautiful lover’s face.
Last night I had a dream
Of a beautiful place it did seem
And that place I saw last night at eleven
Was a glimpse into God’s beautiful heaven.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Because of Me

Because of me are the skies grey,
Making the world so cold,
Eliminating memories of day.

Because of me are all the dreams lost,
Completely faded in the distance,
Abandoned and in nowhere tossed.

Because of me is love do hateful,
Full of jealousy, secrecy,
So envious, dangerous- ungrateful.

Because of me there’s no tomorrow.
No happiness, no joy,
Just sadness and sorrow.

Because of me is what I see:
Hardship and suffering-
All because of me.

All poems © Nsiki Gwala


***
GRADE 9
***

Cheron L'Strange ~ The Wall

My wrists pound on the wall
like its God’s door
Went searching for answers
and I found you

We’re like puzzle pieces,
still apart but so close
So close
Molded so similar
and so differently

I alone complete myself
but you belong with me

© Cheron L’Estrange


***
GRADE 9
***

Eva Chen ~ Diary

You always remind me
I can’t live without you
You are always by my side
When I am depressed
When I am excited
When I am lonely
When I am angry
You are always with me.

You have my life
Since my first day,
When I am in trouble.

You have my life
Since the day I fell in love and
The day I broke up.

You will have my life
Till the day I die.
You have my whole life’s memories,
DEAR DIARY…….


© Eva Chen


***
GRADE 8
***

Kelita Angath ~ The White Light

In the dehydrating desert, pending,
Is the venomous creature itself.
Starving.
Tempted.
Steadily slithering on cracked soil.

Emerald.
Persuading, lingering.
Python.
In his eyes the world is rapidly changing,
The last day of his life is ending.

© Kelita Angath


***
GRADE 8
***

Dillin Clarke ~ Thank You, God

For sending me such a wonderful
person to my lonely way
A person that tells me ' I LOVE YOU '
everyday
Such a truthful person that could
never betray!
Will it be enough to thank you God
For this gift everyday whenever I
pray?

Thank you God
For sending me the sweetest girl
That makes me always feel so happy..
always feel so high
That tells me so many love words
that can make me fly
A person that I really trust
And know will never let me down or
say goodbye!

Thank you God.. It is never enough to
thank you
till forever.. to thank you till I die

Thank you God
For sending me this treasure
It is not silver.. It is not gold
It is not the way I get things
measured
It is just being with the person I love
this is my endless pleasure

Thank you God
For sending me my perfect match
that came to open my heart
And break it's ancient locked latch

Thank you God
For sending me someone so very real
Someone that treats me so right
that knows how to deal
I've always dreamed of someone
caring

For my deep wounds to tenderly heal
How could I thank you God? !
How could I prove that I'm so very
grateful?

For giving me such a lovely person
that made all my life so beautiful
That lovely person that I appreciate
Is YOU.. my love

Thank you for being there
Thank you God for making her there
I know ' Thank You ' is just two small
words to say

That doesn't seam to be enough
But it holds so many meanings
so many hidden feelings

I love you
I really do

© Dillin Clarke


***
GRADE 11
***

Cheron L'Estrange ~ De-titled

And sometimes
when the silence was too loud
you could hear someone
not crying
and you knew then
that is the worst type of pain


© Cheron L’Estrange


***
GRADE 9
***

Yuktha Singh ~ A Long Walk Alone

(Inspired by a newspaper article)

I’m on a long walk, all alone by myself,
Walking but not knowing where to.
I do, however know what I’m looking for:
Success, determination and ambition.

Temperatures less than mild
The freezing, howling wind
So strong and wild,
But that- never mind.

No shoulder to cry on,
My clothes so dirty
So ragged and tattered-
Why was I born?

I wish I had love, a family.
I’m all by myself- on my very own.
I wish I lived happily,
Instead of living this life-
A long walk alone.

I will take each day with Strength by my side,
No more tears and fears with each stride.
A path chosen for me, so bleak;
The power and success for I will seek!


© Yuktha Singh


***
GRADE 9
***

Meleza Jali ~ If I Should Die

If I should die
Think only this of me
A child of God
Who has been set free

No one is to mourn
But to celebrate a life
I hope to have been a friend
Till the very end

I hope to have been a rainbow
After the rain
That ray of light
Shining through the clouds

I have no worries
I have no fears
For God has already been there
I will be home
Home with the Father
Home at last

© Meleza Jali


***
GRADE 9
***

Nsiki Gwala ~ Dear Heavenly Father

Lord you are my Alpha and Omega.
You feed me, the homeless beggar.
Lord you’re the future and the past,
You’re the first and the last.

The creator of heaven and earth
In you there’s renewal and rebirth.
In you Lord there’s unconditional and eternal love,
Which you have given me from the heavens above.

Lord you’re the author of my life,
Who’ll take away pain, hardship and strife.
You’re my creator - my Messiah,
Who created David, Abraham and Isaiah.

Lord you’ve always been and will always be there,
Through my sorrows, my doubts and despair
And will be there till the end of days -
Lord, surely you’re worthy to be praised.

Lord you’re the father and the protector,
Who doesn’t condone the destroyer and defector.
A God who loves the world so
To let his one and only son go

That those who believe, be freed from pain
And in heaven be born again.
Lord with you I will perish never,
For I will live in your house forever.
Amen.

© Nsiki Gwala


***
GRADE 9
***

Jivana Reddy ~ Boredom, Dreams and Grievances

This poem is a boring class
This poem is a dream longing to happen
This poem is death reaping upon your doorstep

This poem is a dreadful long hour
It is trying to resist the drenched pain
But, there is no success
This poem is the last few dregs of boredom
This poem is a boring class

This poem wonders if it will ever be pursued
And not dreamt
This poem has patiently awaited
Not knowing that its rivalry has viciously multiplied
This poem is a dream longing to happen

This poem is a deep sleep
Never to be awakened
This poem has silently captured its victims
It can’t be stopped, but, awaited
For it’s our never known future
This poem is death reaping upon your doorstep

This poem is the wanted haste hours of a boring class
This poem is the dream to all dreams
This poem is the mystic grievances of the dead


© Jivana Reddy


***
GRADE 9
***

Cheron L'Estrange ~ Burnt Out

I don’t feel so strong

I’m all out of fire

Where did we go wrong?

Lately I just drift along

I have lost all my desire

I don’t feel so strong

Can’t believe what you’re saying

-Not that you’re a liar

Where did we go wrong?

Can’t you see I’m trying?

Now things are getting dire

I don’t feel so strong

Late dark hours spent praying

Couldn’t love have been easier?

Where did we go wrong?

Was this all for nothing?

All I know is you still matter

I don’t feel so strong

Where did we go wrong?

© Cheron L’Estrange


***
GRADE 9
***

Shanel Motheram ~ Love

Love
What is love?
Is love a Feeling?
Or is it an emotion?
People fall in love but,
They think it’s only about,
loving a boyfriend or girlfriend.
They don’t know the true feeling of love.
Love is when a puppy licks your face,
after being left alone all day.
Love is when you would take a bullet for someone,
Just not to live another day without that person.
If you think love is just about having a boyfriend or girlfriend,
Then you’re definitely wrong.
Love is something you share,
Not own.
Someone will always love you
That someone is God.
God loves you more in a moment
Than anyone will in a lifetime.


© Shanel Motheram


***
GRADE 8
***

Eva Chen ~ Waiting & Under the Tree

Waiting

I spend my life waiting
I can see my heart beating
The wheel of time keeps rolling
I wait till my hope is dying
The world is still running
I’m still waiting………

© Eva Chen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Under the Tree

I sit under the tree
Looking up the sky
Covering the whole world…..
What a beautiful night.
It is bright and it is light,
And I look at myself.
Is that my life?

© Eva Chen



***
GRADE 8
***

Kelita Angath ~ Never Expected

Sometimes we befriend evil.
Sometimes we’re the devil ourselves.
We start war with angels.
We betray our beloved peace.

Hate is the most powerful weapon,
Used to your benefit.
Ripping the weaker side apart.
Demolishing love.

We disguise ourselves as death.
We cover the purity of our hearts.
Sometimes we regret.
Sometimes we learn.

© Kelita Angath


***
GRADE 8
***

Aryan Mootheeram ~ Hearts

Found in many different shapes and sizes
It can be molded according to one’s personality.

The heart of a woman is true.
Men think of it as fragile and gullible,
falling easily for the words of a charming man.
They do not know however that a woman’s heart
can be as hard and cold as a rock.
It is fragile but can shatter the hearts of others.
Cold but has the ability to make a man’s heart melt.
Impenetrable but when accepted you’ll never want to leave.

The heart of a baby is pure.
Untouched by the evils of the world,
it has the ability to brighten up days
for those who suffer from the grievances of life.
Even though a baby may be small,
Its heart is twice the size of that of its body.

The heart of a man is hard.
Cold and cruel it only accepts a few.
Those who manage to carve their way through to its core
are protected from many dangers.
They have a place of shelter for when they are sad.
You are safe when you have a man’s heart around.

The heart of a teenager is confused.
Trying to find its place in society it faces many challenges.
It is adventurous and looks for love even in the darkest places.
It will be used and that is inevitable but it is up to its owner
to make the correct choices.
It will need to learn from its own mistakes.

The heart of a person will change continuously.
If you treat it with care, it will nourish your body with love and warmth.
Throw it to the dogs, break it in half or tear it to pieces
And it will make you hard and cold.
You are the creator of your own destiny...

© Aryan Mootheeram


***
GRADE 9
***

Jivana Reddy ~ As the Sun Dawns

As the sun dawns
I see your face
It feels like I’m reborn

We fly away to the unknown
I think it’s just a love case
As the sun dawns

A new world we are shown
But, why at such a pace ?
It feels like I’m reborn

Now you are gone
Sadly, I feel this sudden grace
As the sun dawns


© Jivana Reddy

Sphelele Khumalo ~ Two Poems

Dying

Dying we think happens
to the old and grey
but you will die anyway
so why not today?

To the nurses in the hospital
it's a daily thing
but we feel it in our hearts
like our world is caving in.

We watch people dying
their pulse slows then gone
it then hits us dying!
Gone, with the wind.

© Sphelele Khumalo


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Goodbyes

Goodbyes are not forever
Goodbyes are not the end
It simply means I miss you
Until we meet again.

You were a tough contender
Only easy on the eye
But very hard on the heart
But either way
You will be dearly missed.

© Sphelele Khumalo


***
GRADE 8
***

Shweta Singh ~ Two Poems

The Wintery Wizard 

He visits us around April, May
It’s very true to say
His face is white snow
His hands and limbs are thin bare branches

He cast his icicle wands
In hope to freeze a million ponds
She showers the ground with soft candy floss snow
And that’s the Wintery Wizard I know

© Shweta Singh


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The Time Has Arrived

The time has arrived
Crystal blue waters
today is sunny
Come to the beach buddy
We’ll take a selfie
Just you and me

The time has arrived
The sunset has awakened us
This anticipation
Calls for a celebration

Play on the music
Drink the bottle to the last
We gonna have a blast

Your love…that’s all I need, bae

There be you and me
At the sea side, the sound of water
Take me into your arms, what you’re waiting for
Then to a lovely yacht
And we’ll be drunk after as few Malibu shots

The time has come
The night is colorful
Let’s make it meaningful

© Shweta Singh


***
GRADE 10
***

Meleza Jali ~ A Letter to my Grandfather

As we drove into Lady Frere
I felt you in the mellow breeze
The land stretched and all bare

I could only stare
When I felt my hand in yours squeeze
As we drove into Lady Frere

Life seemed so unfair
As for you I would beg and please
The land stretched and all bare

There was so much to share
The laughter and glee
As we drove into Lady Frere

But I have no more tears to spare
For I know your heart is at ease
As we drive out of Lady Frere
The land stretched and all bare


© Meleza Jali

***
GRADE 9
***

Nsiki Gwala ~ Two Poems

Murder

Traumatised
A threat to the living.
A mind encrypted with savageness,
With death so close, so sure and inevitable
And life is but a dream in his eyes-
His eyes of molten fury.
A dead soul.
Seeking the souls of the pure,
Blood of the living in jealousy-
Jealousy of what never was or should have been.
A ruthless heart of ice and despair,
A dream shattered and lost.
Murderer

© Nsiki Gwala


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If I should die, think only this of me

If I should die think only this of me:
That she was a girl as patient as a calm blue sea,
Who tried to help others in every way
And still loved them till the end of her day.

A girl who believed that hard work will win
A girl who wore that unforgettable grin,
As though everyday she could feel life’s endless joy
Like a little boy playing with his favourite toy.

If I should die, think only this of me:
That she was girl as happy as one could ever be
And even tough angels have stolen her in the golden cart,
Her love will always remain in my heart.

© Nsiki Gwala

***
GRADE 9
***

Pryaska Goorhoo ~ Two Poems

Life

A big adventure?
An exciting rollercoaster ride?
Who knows?
Who really has the answer of what life is?
Is there someone who has the answer?
That ultimate answer of what life really means?
Is it about the happy gathering or the terrible mishaps?
Who knows what going to happen next?
A tsunami, maybe?
A volcano, whirlwind or cyclone?
The only most realistic answer that I can think of is-No!
Nobody knows what going to happen next.
No one can ultimately predict the future,
The happy gatherings,
Or the terrible mishaps?
Life…
Life is there to be lived!
Not to be wrapped up in bubble plastic and put on a shelf.
Don’t go around thinking that you know
What’s going to happen next because you don’t!
People didn’t know in the past,
People don’t know now
And finally, people will not know in the future.

© Pryaska Goorhoo


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Dear cousin, brother, sister, mother and dad…

Dear cousin, brother, sister, mother and dad,
I know I am not the little girl you once had.

From taking my first steps to my first day at school.
You were all with me.
That’s the best thing a girl in this world can be, a beautiful little fool.

I would also like to add,
All the times that I had made you mad.

From keeping you up all night to disobeying you,
You still love me,
No matter what you had to go through.

For having such people in my life
Am I really glad,
Dear cousin, brother, sister, mother and dad…

© Pryaska Goorhoo


***
GRADE 9
***

Yuktha Singh ~ This Poem is a Painting, a Ball and a Boomerang

This poem is an abstract painting.
This poem is a ping- pong ball.
This poem is a boomerang!
 
This poem is an optical illusion to your mind,
It keeps you thinking and thinking…
It is a web of many paths, views and legends.
Each step can either construct, leading you on to more paths
Or destruct, ending your journey before it even begins.
This poem is an abstract painting.

This poem is a white ping-pong ball
Which bounces past your eyes
Before you even know it.
White, yet so colourful,
Empty and hollow yet so full.
The rhythm of that ping-pong ball compels you
To wrap your mind around it and focus.
Its ultimate aim- to entertain
This poem is a ping-pong ball.

This poem is a boomerang
That will always come back to you,
Despite everything else.
It moves at the speed of sound and
Just when you think it’s slowing down,
It never loses its momentum.
It finds any possible ways to turn around
So that it doesn’t collide into the ground.
When you feel like you are going down,
Losing momentum like the boomerang does-
This poem will come back to you.

This poem is an abstract painting that tangles your mind.
This poem is a simple, yet complicated ping-pong ball.
This poem is the boomerang that never loses momentum!

© Yuktha Singh


***
GRADE 9
***

Meleza Jali ~ This Poem is a Child, a Butterfly and a Dream

This poem is a child
This poem is a butterfly
This poem is a dream

This poem brings joy to life
It believes in no danger
This poem is innocent
And only commands love
This poem is a child

This poem is a wonderful creation
It desires the wind beneath its wings
and searches the earth
it is as graceful as can be
This poem is a butterfly

This poem crashes down on your skull
It lingers in your sleep
And remains deep in the shadows
This poem went away years ago
This poem is a dream

This poem is a growing child
This poem is the soaring butterfly
This poem is the long lost dream.                                  

© Meleza Jali


***
GRADE 9
***

Shweta Singh ~ Money Has Destroyed Me

From

Prada

To

Nada

From Gucci

To Gumtree

From

Riches

To rags

Guess to grocery

Bags. Jackson

And Apple to

Beiber

And Blackberry

Money

Has 

destroyed

Me

© Shweta Singh

***

GRADE 10

***

Yuktha Singh ~ Hinduism

Hinduism is a religion, a culture, a way of life.

A religion filled with truth, righteousness and goals.

One of which is to reach liberation or to

Attain the manifestation of the divinity.

A culture so rich, so bright

And colourful.

Festivals of light,

Unity and victory!

We have not many Gods,

But one with many forms- with many names.

We call Him Emptiness

Who is the Truth of truths, 

                                                           In Whom all truths are stored!                                                             He is a Nameless Being, 

Of whom naught can be said.

Thus, knowing Him-

Who is superior to the Self and Intellect,

One can slay the enemy- The desire

Which is hard to conquer!

Yuktha Singh


***
GRADE 9
***

Pryaska Goorhoo ~ Loneliness

Loneliness…
It’s like a knife, sharp blade
Piercing through your skin
To get to your soul,
Damaging all vessels and arteries
Along the way.
Your soul, delicate as a balloon
Filled with helium.
The sharpness of the knife,
With a single prick, it does the trick.
With a touch, the balloon explodes.
All the goodness is out within an instant
Like a sharp dagger slicing through silence.

Loneliness…
Its like poison,
Killing everything in its way
Just to get to your heart.
A deadly combination.
Everything inside just can’t take the pressure anymore.
It’s like one big joke for you all.
Trying hard to pretend you happy?
No use, at the end of the day there will always be that,
Someone or something missing.
You would try to eliminate loneliness from your life
Just like how you would try to pump the poison out from within you.

Loneliness...
It’s like being hidden away from the world,
Your dearest ones turning their back on you.
It’s like regretting opportunities…
Loneliness… it’s like an ambitious person
Who gets no opportunities to prove themselves.
Loneliness… it’s when your best side decides to leave you
Thinking that you are going to cope.
People who understand me are the ones, who are dearest to me,
Are the ones who forget me.
Are the ones who leave me.
Are the ones who mean the world to me…


© Pryaska Goorhoo


***
GRADE 9
*** 

Nsiki Gwala ~ You held my cold hand as I took my last breath

You held my cold hand as I took my last breath,
While I walked through the door of death.
In the distance I could hear faint cries,
As I slowly closed my heavy eyes.
My soul escaped from this gruesome earth
And was filled with renewal and rebirth.

You held my cold hand as I took my last breath,
As I walked through the door of death.
I could feel your pain from a world away,
As you cried out for me to stay.
The sky could feel your sadness and pain,
As it cried tears of cold rain.

You held my cold hand as I took my last breath,
As I walked through the door of death.
Like birds that fly away,
I had to go, I could not stay.
Your love was stronger than ever before,
As I entered death's door.

You held my cold hand as I took my last breath,
As I walked through the door of death.
As the heavenly gates opened before me,
I finally felt alive and free.
One day we'd be together again,
Free from hardship, free from pain.

You held my cold hand as I took my last breath,
As I walked through the door of death.
But sweet death will never keep us apart,
For you'll always in my heart.


© Nsiki Gwala


***
GRADE 9
***

Amina Moola ~ Save Our Planet

God gave us a beautiful planet called Earth
But we keep filling it with dirt.
We eat a sweet
And throw the paper on the street.
We chop down trees to make a fire
And the harmful smoke rises higher and higher.
We just don’t care about the trees
Or a fresh clean blowing breeze.
So, my dear friends, pick up a paper or plant a tree,
Save a little bird or a bee.
We need to start loving our earth,
We need to realise what it’s worth.
We can all do something,
In some little way,
To save our planet from destruction today.

© Amina Moola


***
GRADE 10
***

Valentina Blinoff ~ What I Feel

What’s happening around me?
I can’t see.
What’s happening around me?
I can’t hear.

It takes a moment,
To not feel.
It takes a moment,
To not fear.

Horror, around me
But blind I am.
Terror, around me
But protected from the inside I am.

I can’t feel,
Neither see.
I can’t hear,
Neither fear.

I’m strong,
Only on the inside.
So defenseless,
From the outside.

© Valentina Blinoff


***
GRADE 8
***

Kelita Angath ~ Little White Lies

Little white lies.
The things that I’m afraid of.
I might have said one or two,
Or maybe so many that I can’t even count.

This is the darkness captured inside you.
Those that are kept secrets.
The black key to the white box.
Where the truth lies.

Why such a name?
Why not little black lies.
There’s nothing truthful about it,
It’s simply unpleasant.

It’s useful to some,
Deadly to others.
Find a way to betray it,
Before it takes over you.

© Kelita Angath

***
GRADE 8
***

Michaela Tommy ~ Sound Bites

#1  
Lover-boy

Red, the
colour of his
infinite and burning
passion, felt from within his heart.




#2

Breathless
Her body lay
amongst the white lilies
closing her eyes she freed herself.




#3

Her laugh was loud but her tears were silent.
The darkness inside was omnipotent.
She worked hard so no one would notice it,
the memories of her dear lutenist.

That rascal who serenaded her heart
in the beauty of fine musical art.
It had not last long and her love was spent.
He mattered, she was irrelevant.




#4

Happiness abounds
in her soul
longing to enslave
someone with its redeeming
factors: Love, Life, Laughter.




#5

You were my reason
my first choice
my breath, life, laughter
my everything but a piece
that remained untouched.




#6

At the age of sixteen
my life seems like a dream.
Don't know the meaning of love
just know its a gift from above.
I met a fairy-tale prince
been rocking my world since
Maybe our souls would weave
and as one body we would breathe.




#7 
Getting you

Sell my soul to the devil for a dollar or a penny
After a dime or two maybe you'd be mine, baby.
Capturing your attention like a falling star
Maybe your just plastic and need a new car


© Michaela Tommy


***
GRADE 10
***

Pryaska Goorhoo ~ Two Poems

Time after time…



Year after year
Time slowly floats by,
Like mist that disappears
In a split second before the eye.

Do we cherish every moment
Or wonder what and why?
The way we spend our lives,
Is it true salvation or is it all just one big lie.

Dangerously harmless people,
A few in all die.
The rest just stare blankly
As time slowly floats by…

© Pryaska Goorhoo


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Cracks in pavement



Fight it out till the end.
Don’t whither, crumple or bend
You the only one who knows how strong you really are.
You can walk the distance, you can go far!
People do have flaws.
Before criticizing, stop for a minute and pause.
Lying, deceiving, cheating.
Judging, self-control, mistreating.
The world a better place?
Stop luring the people with your innocent face.
What really is the question?
To agree or disagree?
To be or not to be?
In reality, the world is not what it seems.
Shattered and broken are hopes and dreams.
Cures carried on your lips; don’t pretend!
Just fight it out till the end.


© Pryaska Goorhoo


***
GRADE 9
***

Uwais Coetzee ~ Earth

The Earth is living
Like a person
Like all of the things
That takes refuge upon it

The Earth lives
It breathes
It grows
And sprouts new leaves

But we are killing it
Ruining it
Throwing it off
A cliff to die in hell
And rot for all eternity.

© Uwais Coetzee


***
GRADE 8
***

Nsiki Gwala ~ This poem is the sky, a flower and the sea

This poem is the blue sky.
This poem is a blooming flower.
This poem is the cold sea.

This poem is the blue ocean above.
God’s gift of life to the living,
Where bird’s swim so fearlessly and freely
Like a dry autumn leaf sinking swiftly to the dry land.
Earth’s peaceful and heavenly place
Where the ground is but a grotesque memory.
This poem is the blue sky.

This poem is the florescent flower of life.
A rebirth of indefinite opportunities,
With a delicate promise of hope and revival.
This is life’s rare moment that captures hearts and souls-
A true vision of a brighter tomorrow
That renews all shattered dreams.
This poem is a blooming flower.

This poem is a vast, aquamarine sea.
An ice-cold blanket that hugs the earth
Like a blizzard on a freezing winter’s day,
With jaws that have munched on rocky cliffs
And murdered innocent lives.
The giver of life for those near it-
This poem is the cold sea.

This poem is the heavenly, blue sky.
This poem is a florescent blooming flower.
This poem is the endless cold sea.

© Nsiki Gwala


***
GRADE 9
***

Courtney Cox ~ Like a Bird

Like a bird to the sky
Now is my chance to rise
With my wings stretched wide
I shall hold a breath and glide
With the wind beneath me
What a beautiful day it shall be

It may seem irrelevant at the time
But you shall soon realise
It was destiny that got in my way
Now is the time for me to meet my fate
And as I fall story after story
There’s no need for you to worry

As the ground rises to meet my face
Everything will be in place
I will no longer need to run
The life in me will be none
I won’t have to hang my head in shame
Because I was the one to win the game

© Courtney Cox


***
GRADE 9
***

Dillin Clarke ~ Have You Ever Wondered?

Have you ever wondered how is it like
to feel like a stranger?
Like a fish out of water
Like a teardrop in a loud laughter
Like love in a heart of a hater!

Have you ever wondered how is it like
to feel lost?
Like a drop in the ocean
Like a needle in a haystack
Lost... that you don't know white
from black!
Like walking straight in a destination
When you know there is no way to go
back!

Have you ever wondered how is it like
to feel so confused?
That you don't know
when you're treated nicely
And when you are abused!

Have you ever felt so much low?
And you don't know what to do or
where to go?
When you see all the doors around
you are locked and closed!

Have you ever wondered how is it like
to be in a non-stop stress?
When you never feel so sure about
something you always have to guess!
when you feel like crying out loud
And spit that burden of these hard
feelings inside you

However, these feelings you have to
keep & suppress
Although, you are in the greatest
need for a gentle caress!
Had anyone felt so much pain like
this before?
'Cause that's what I really feel...
maybe even more!

I don't wanna feel like a stranger
I don't wanna feel lost
I don't wanna feel confused
I don't wanna be in a non-stop
stress
I just want to stop this dreadful
feeling of loneliness!

© Dillin Clarke

***
GRADE 11
***

Amina Moola ~ Every Little Bit Helps

Butterflies, bees and birds,
So lovely they were I heard.
Flying through the beautiful blue sky,
Hundreds of colourful birds no lie.
I heard about the cheetah so fast,
Before you could blink he past.
And what about the elephant so large
He couldn’t fit in my granddad's garage.
O and my gran told me about the whale
It was about a hundred feet from head to tail.
How I wish I could have seen them all
From the little bee to the giraffe so tall.
I feel so sad and want to cry
Because people do not worry
About the birds and the beautiful blue sky.
They chop down trees and forests too,
They never worried about what that could do.
The air was thick and full of smoke,
All the poor animals could do was choke.
Until, finally all the animals were gone
Our pollution killed them all before the next dawn.
So pick up your papers and your tins and throw them in your bin.
Every little bit goes a long way to make tomorrow a better day!

© Amina Moola


***
GRADE 10
***

Latifah ~ Love Story

Why did he go
It's hurting her so
Her heart is in pain each day
Since the time he went away

She drowns in her tears
Couldn't believe her ears
Now he is flying like a bird
Is it the truth she heard

Is he really gone
It will be so hard for her to move on
But he came back to her in a dream
She saw him and screamed

He calmly said don't be afraid
There's always one thing I'd made
I did make you happy till the end
And now its a gift I send

From heaven above
I will always be your love
She smiled and looked into his face
Her heart is no more a lonely place

She asked if he would stay forever
He sadly said "Wish I could but never"
If you heard the news around the hour eleven
That was the time I went to heaven

With tears in her eyes
she hope it's all lies
"But you wouldn't do a thing such
I loved you so much..."

"Yes, love stays on earth
If God let us fly like a bird
Theres nothing we can do
Even though I loved you"

Something became strange
Her emotion changed
She looked everywhere
But hes no more there

For her love so near
And suddenly disappear
Made no sense
And it made her tense

Again she end up crying
Wish to sleep and end up dying
To meet him again
And have no more pain

The moral, happiness is but a dream
but pain is a true reality
No matter how good it seem
It just changes your mentality



© Latifah


***
GRADE 9
***

Michaela Tommy ~ Dreams

Big dreams in
a small place. Not enough
life, not even a taste. Reaching out
I see my dream, close at hand it seems. But it slips
and the world pulls it away from here
a place too small for beauty.
Taken to
a place where fantasy clashes with
reality and beauty is there
noticed in unspoken language of the soul and
expressive emotions from the heart.
A world I wish to be
a part of.

© Michaela Tommy


***
GRADE 10
***

Carri-Ann Taylor ~ My Wish For You

Keep

holding 

on,

fighting

strong, living

long but 

don't 

forget 

to move on.

live life to the

fullest and 

achieve 

all

of your 

dreams. See the

world for

what

it is,

Love.

© Carri-Ann Taylor

***

GRADE 10

***

Amina Moola ~ Madiba, Our Father

Thank you for gifting us with freedom,
Our country no longer needs to suffer with racism.

All the battles you fought,
All the justice you brought.

Our gratitude cannot comprehend,
The hardships you faced till the end.
You’ve put our lives on the mend.

To live our lives with no fear,
No need to even shed a tear.

The happiness you brought,
The unjust apartheid that you fought!

To live our lives without suffering,
Because you did,
Gave us hope for a better and brighter future.
 A lesson you taught,
could never be forgotten.

Our national hero says, "Never, never and never again
shall it be that this beautiful land will again
experience the oppression of one by another."
We will strive towards that, Madiba, our father.

Umtata Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela!
Live on forever …


© Amina Moola

Suwaibah Kader ~ Without You

I’m here, you’re there; where  is life?

You’re the only one wherever I look.

Sleep doesn’t come to me, and the memories don’t go away…

Without you, living is no longer possible.

I’m here, you’re there ; where is life?

It’s as if time has stopped here. Everywhere, there’s a strange sadness.

My restlessness agonizes me; my body is lonely and my soul thirsts.

Why does your face not leave my sight for a single moment?

Day and night somehow pass, but this lonely life does not.

Though I want to, I can’t say anything to you…

How can I voice my pain?

I’m here, you’re there; where is life?

Whenever there was a footstep somewhere, I felt you had come.

Like a gust of perfume, my breath also became fragrant.

There was a time we were always together…

Now there’s so many differences between us.

I’m here , you’re there; where is life?

Memories of the past come to me when I’m alone;

The silence speaks, and I hide myself away from everyone to weep.

A year has passed since I smiled…

This story is filled with tears.

I’m here, you’re there; where is life?

You’re the only one wherever I look.

Sleep doesn’t come to me, and the memories don’t go away…

Without you, living is no longer possible.

© Suwaibah Kader


***
GRADE 8
***

Kelita Angath ~ I Am Who I Am

I don’t follow.
I am a leader.
I do what I please
And what’s right to me.

Why would I change myself for you?
I don’t care about your thoughts.
You can break me over and over,
But you will never take over me.

I have my own personality.
I am original and unique,
And I don’t care if you have a problem with it.
I am who I am


© Kelita Angath


***
GRADE 8
***

Valentina Blinoff ~ Right Behind

Always staring at you I am,
Maybe you didn’t realized
What a heart broken girl
You had left behind.
If somebody asks me,
I’ll say that I don’t know you
Or maybe that I don’t care.
But believe me when I say “I love you”
Believe me when I say “I need you”
You and I know it.
We know that I can’t live without you,
That without you my life is nothing,
That without you I feel like dying.
So don’t just walk away.
So look behind,
But look carefully.
Don’t try to hide the truth.
Turn around.
Look at those eyes,
That are always looking for you,
And tell them what you feel.
You know I’ll understand.
You know that no matter what
I love you.


© Valentina Blinoff


***
GRADE 8
***

Uwais Coetzee ~ Space

Up above our heads
Higher than the atmosphere
In the depths and darkness
There is space.

But not everyday space
Uncontrollable, unimaginable
Larger than a million earths
Space.

Just waiting to be explored
But no country is
Advanced enough to even
Fathom how much is out there.
Space.


© Uwais Coetzee


***
GRADE 8
***

Shweta Singh ~ The Language of Art

Art does not have to be seen
Art can be heard, art can be smelt
Art does not have to be named
Art should be experienced and felt

Art is created …
Behind the stars and under the hills
And empty minds it fills

Art can…
Bring out the sun and make darkness follow after
End life and kill laughter

Art is like a box…
A box with no hinges, key or lid
Yet golden treasure inside is hid

Art is like the creatures of the sea…
Alive without breadth
As cold as death

Art is like the wind…
Voiceless it cries, wingless it flutters
Toothless it bites, mouthless it mutters

Without art…
The sun would have no warmth
The flowers would have no beauty

Art is the rain that falls to earth …
And therefore is the reason of nature’s birth


© Shweta Singh


***
GRADE 10
***

Yuktha Singh ~ Winter Has Been Blown Away

Winter has been blown away.
I heard Spring’s harmonious voice as the sun rose.
Bright and colourful is the new day.

Over the horizon, the Sun shines his rays.
Across the bright, blue sky, so swiftly- a bird flies.
Winter has been blown away.

The skies and clouds were once so grey
and bare, dry trees are now in disguise.
Bright and colourful is the new day.

Mr Jack Frost too, has gone away.
Those cold mornings and frost bites slowly dies.
Winter has been blown away.

Children laugh and play and enjoy sorbet.
The Sun’s demands make everyone’s mood comply.
Bright and colourful is the new day.

Flowers, along with hearts begin to blossom.
As the Sun’s bright smile crosses one’s eyes,
Hearts sing and faces glow all day.
Winter has been blown away.


© Yuktha Singh


***
GRADE 9
***

Nash Aniruth ~ I'm Done

You played with my future
like the strings of a guitar.
With your
gentle touch and mesmerizing nature
I fell helplessly
into your trap of love.
Cupid's arrow struck me
from the heavens above.

You were my serotonin.
My happiness.
When I was with you
all I could think of was happiness.

But you tore me apart
- Infrastructure along with art.

You lured me
away from positivity
and into the darkness I followed.
Into negativity...

It's okay:
I'm an innovator,
not a replicator

Nash Aniruth


***
GRADE 10
***

Valentina Blinoff ~ Why Is It Me?

A world full of people,
And I only have a few friends.
A world full of people, who hate me…
And I don’t know the reason.

Is it wrong to love people?
Is it wrong to want them…
To love you back?
Is it wrong to try to make friends?

Why am I lonely?
Lonely in this big world.
Why does everyone hate me?
Why I have no one?

I try to do my best.
I try to be nice.
I try to not be mean.
I try to not talk.

I try to not be rude.
I try to listen too.
I try to do the impossible.
And nothing has worked out.

I can’t understand what it is.
Did I make a mistake?
Did I offend someone?
But none will tell.

I want to make it better…
I only make it worst.
I have only one question:
Why is it me?

It is weird how
Good people end up bad,
Bad people end up good.
Did this ever happen to you?

I just don’t want it.
I don’t want to live like this
But I cannot show them,
Show them how I feel.

I have to be strong,
Even if I can’t.
I have to carry on,
Even if it’s hard.

But it looks impossible.
It looks very hard.
Why is it me?
I have to answer it.


© Valentina Blinoff


***
GRADE 8
***

Nash Aniruth ~ The City of My Dreams

Take me away...

I beg of you

I'm depressed and in dismay

You know it's true

They say that life won't be that grey

- they don't have a clue

They don't know what it's like

to constantly chase your dreams at night

Weary eyed and wasted

The wine of success I have not yet tasted.

Night after night

The melody of Metropolis

resonates with my inner sprite

Stop holding me back,

or else my aspirations will crumble

under the rubble

of the city of my dreams.

Take me away

to the city I love so dearly

The City of my Dreams...

© Nash Aniruth

***

GRADE 10

***

Nsiki Gwala ~ Is Your Life Really Tough?

Is it?
Is your life really tough,
Unpredictable and extremely rough?

Is it a journey going nowhere?
A journey vanishing in utter despair,
Just because you failed your Maths Test
Even though you tried your best?

Just because your boyfriend dumped you
And left you miserable and blue?
Just because you don’t wear the highest heels
Or don’t know what being high feels?

Just because you didn’t get your favourite food
Or just got detention for being rude?
Just because your house isn’t a mansion
And is in desperate need of an expansion?

But what about those who have no hope,
Yet hang on to life with a single rope?
Those that have never gone to school
And have been made the world’s fool.

Those that have been used by every girl and guy
And have been dumped alone in the street to cry?
Those that would kill to wear any shoes on their feet?
Those that rummage in bins for food to eat?

Those whose lives are ruined by a drug addiction
And wish their life-story was fiction?
Those that don’t have a roof over their head
And have never experienced sleeping on a bed?

Is your life unpredictable and extremely rough?
Is your life truly tough?
Is it?

© Nsiki Gwala


***
GRADE 9
***

Pryaska Goorhoo ~ "Far Above the Milky Way"

Far above the Milky Way                                                                                                                                                             People wanted the will to fight,                                                                                                                                            A beam of hope, a little golden ray.

Through dusk and through day,                                                                                                                                            Silent winds blow throughout the night,                                                                                                                                  Far above the Milky Way.

There is no yesterday, tomorrow or today.                                                                                                                       Violet horizons with that one golden flying kite.                                                                                                              A beam of hope, a little golden ray.

A perfection of hopelessness or a very tragic play?                                                                                                                  I often wonder about the many stars up there shining bright,                                                                                       Far above the Milky Way.

I laughed, I cried, however I still think its cliché.                                                                                                               Do you also wonder about some charming, mysterious knight?                                                                                       A beam of hope, a little golden ray?

Throughout this vast world I have searched, day by day.                                                                                                 My looking brighter, success within sight.                                                                                                                                 A beam of hope, a little golden ray…                                                                                                                                   Far above the Milky Way…


© Pryaska Goorhoo


***
GRADE 9
***

Grace Smythe ~ Two Poems

A Spring View

Like hares coming from hibernating
Blossoms start blooming
And gardeners pruning
Streams start running and whispering

Smiling sun lights up the sky
Everything is magnificent to the naked eye
Colours of every kind
With flowers of different designs

© Grace Smythe


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Take a Guess?

It rumbles and roars
It swirls and swooshes
It folds and flickers in volumes of sunlight.
It is beautiful, peaceful, bold and magnificent

Its dangerous, deadly and mysterical
Its deep and shallow
Its blue
Its the home to many a creature
Its God's majestic ocean

© Grace Smythe


***
GRADE 10
***

Latifah ~ Prayer

How can I love when I'm afraid to break my heart
How can I be together when I'm afraid to fall apart
How can I ask when I'm afraid to know
How can I hold on when I'm afraid to let go

How can I smile when I'm afraid to cry
How can I live when I'm afraid to die

How can I prosper when I'm afraid to achieve
How can I have faith when I'm afraid to believe

How can I believe in God
When I'm afraid to take Jesus as my Lord

Oh God you know how I feel
I bow my head as I kneel
To pray
With nothing more to say

I'm only living for a while
How can I be in such a denial
Please show me the way
To you Lord I pray



© Latifah


***
GRADE 9
***

Michaela Tommy ~ Drowning

How do I
know that what i do feel
is real ? My entire world is caving
into me, drowning, lost in the sea of madness
my cries of help unheard, silently
I sink to the bottom
unnoticed.

© Michaela Tommy


***
GRADE 10
***

Grace Smythe ~ Love's in the Wind

He
holds on,
hangs
on to
the soaring
wind so
tight.
He feels
it but can't
hold it firmly
in his arms.
It warms
his
sad soul.
His wife's love's
always
felt
in the breeze.


© Grace Smythe


***
GRADE 10
***

Nsiki Gwala ~ Death of Nature

I dreamt of the blue sky in the calm seas,
Of nature’s call echoing in the air.
I saw dark clouds rising above forgotten trees.

I prayed for snow that would whiten and freeze,
For rain that fills oceans with love and care-
I dreamt of the blue sky in the calm seas.

I wished for the cooling touch of nature’s breeze,
But smoke arrived, suffocating nature everywhere-
I saw dark clouds rising above forgotten trees.

I hoped to feel how the air flees,
But a ghost of dust rose as if trying to scare-
I saw dark clouds rising above forgotten trees.

I prayed for nature’s sunsets that cost no fees,
For crystal clear waters so beautiful and rare-
I dreamt of the blue sky in the calm seas.

She can no longer intrigue, enlighten and please.
Her beauty’s been destroyed, demolished and lost and despair.
I dreamt of the blue sky in the calm seas,
I saw dark clouds rising above forgotten trees.


© Nsiki Gwala


***
GRADE 9
***

Pryaska Goorhoo ~ This poem is snowflake, hill and sand

This poem is a flake of snow.
This poem is a huge, overgrown hill.
This poem is a mountain of sand.

This poem is the last snowflake for the season.  
Shining brightly, it perfectly lands on top of the cliff,
Not moving nor sliding.
A fulfilled wish-
Satisfying the soul.
Cooling, chilling the desire.                                                                                                                           This poem is a flake of snow.

This poem is a hill with many unwalked paths.
Beautiful sceneries or a hive of danger?  
A decision to begin or end?
Between grassy greens and deserted plains.
A life changing choice to become victim or victor-
To walk around the hill or to walk over it.
This poem is a huge, overgrown hill.

This poem is a mountain of many tons of sand  
Whirling in the wind, moving to the rhythm of the air.  
Perfectly hopeless-
The way they swiftly bump into each other without causing harm to any.  
Sweet memories whirl in the wind of the mind,
Indescribable, indiscreet, indestructible… and uncontrollable.
This poem is a mountain of sand.

This poem is a six-pointed snowflake.
This poem is one of many other hundred hills.
This poem is a desert of sand.


© Pryaska Goorhoo


***
GRADE 9
***

Latifah ~ Rather Choose to Die

Have you ever asked the question why?
Have you ever felt the need to cry
Facing life's fears
Leave the world in tears

As the days gone by
I rather choose to die
No matter how hard I try
The world just leaves me to cry

How can I live my life so sad
That won't happen in death
I will be happy forever
Crying I won't do that never

Please Jesus my Lord
So help me God
Let me go away
This is no place to stay

If I knew life would be so hard
I never wanted to be here from the start
God I heard you can save
So please put me to my grave

Forgive me for my loved one's pain
This is not what they hoped for in vain
Every child's life is a Godsend
And I just want mine to end

Everything comes with a price
But to live is no more nice
So I ask you please ...
Just let me rest in peace

© Latifah


***
GRADE 9
***

Malwazi Moholi ~ Rollercoaster Ride of Love

Heartbroken
That's when someone you love
Leaves without a reson to leave you
Even after you stuck around with all the pain
He broke your heart into pieces
But the love is still there
"Forgive me?"
Were the words I said
After I did a whole lot of wrong
But it took forever to gain forgiveness
So, then I decided to give up
Like a flame burning bright
It will die...



© Malwazi Moholi


***
GRADE 8
***

Jenna Venter ~ Two Poems

This poem is a crying baby

This poem is a crying baby

This poem is a toy truck

This poem is a bedside lamp

This poem is weak and tiny,

it cries for its mother’s company.

This poem likes to moan and groan,

this poem will accomplish great things.

This poem is a crying baby.

This poem is a lonely toy truck

from the toy box, lying far from it

away from all the other toys.

This poem is the toy truck

This poem is a burning lamp,

its rays filling the small room

keeping the room alight

this is like sunshine on a rainy day

very comforting and warm.

This poem is the bedside lamp

This poem is the crying baby to its mother

This poem is the toy truck to the toy box

This poem is the bedside lamp to the dark room

 © Jenna Venter


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love Me, Love Me Not?

I thought love was all too sweet

If only you could trust them not to cheat

I thought love was all too sweet

How could this come to be

If only you could trust them not to cheat

Love is a fantasy, no such thing

How could this come to be

I thought love was all too sweet

Love is a fantasy, no such thing

How could this come to be

If only you could trust them not to cheat

Love is a fantasy, no such thing

How could this come to be

I thought love was all too sweet

Love is a fantasy, no such thing

How could this come to be

I thought love was all too sweet

If only you could trust them not to cheat

 © Jenna Venter


***
GRADE 9
***