God Where Are You? ~ Shweta Singh

God where are You? O God tell me, where are you!

O God,
It’s you who governs the whole world I hear
Do listen to my plea
My home beckons me
God where are You? O God tell me, where are you!

You guide back to sanity
Those who’ve lost their way
I too am completely lost
Guide me too, I Pray

Shall I worship you in Temples?
In Mosques do my faith I show
Or to a ‘Gurudwara’
Would you like me to go?

Temples and Churches,
I’ve looked everywhere

My hope now has turned to despair!

Not a single ritual did I ever flout
Like millions around the world
I submit without a doubt
God where are You? O God tell me, where are you!

You have many names and faces too
I’ve walked each of the myriad
Paths which lead to You
What else should I do
To find you give a clue

I blindly follow and
With reverence and treasure
Your every whim and fancy
In more than ample measure
God where are You? O God tell me, where are you!

How do I call out to you ?
Shall I talk to you
With hands clasped ?
Or on bent knees, head to the ground?
Do I wake you with temple bells?
Or call out on a loud speaker?
God where are You? O God tell me, where are you!

Understand my plight,
I am at breaking point,
I thought, you’d never abandon me
During this fight

As I walked along the shore
A single set of footprints I only saw.

The search for you all around
Had then come to end
Just as I realized,
Those single prints were
None other than Yours

Because through these weak times
You carry me, every single step
In your Perfect, Mighty Arms.
God here you are. O God, Here you’ll always be!


©  Shweta Singh


***
Grade 11
***

Empty ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

Source Unknown

I am empty without you .

I am a vacuum

that will always generate

an overpowering feeling

of purposelessness.



I am still

the silence is like a predator

preying on every last

bit of my existence.



I reach out for your help

yet I soon realize that

I am screaming into

shattered eardrums.



I am drowning in slow motion

only to be resurrected

to drown yet again.


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

Who Is She? ~ Neha Singh

Who is she?
Why is she here?
What is her purpose?
Is she happy?

So many questions come to mind,
Just after one quick glance.
Then the judging begins...
You didn't care to wait for the answer to any of your questions.

Then you hurt her,
Slowly picking at her imperfections.
Did you forget that she has feelings?
Did you forget that she is human to?

We all do this,
Sometimes without even noticing.
What if you were her?
What if she was you?

So many questions,
So little time.
I just want you to understand,
She is like a porcelain doll.

Fragile.
Beautiful.
Easy to look at.
But also easily broken.

And that's exactly what you did.
You broke her.
Tormented her.
Made her feel insecure.

Then the cycle starts all over again.
No one bothered to know her,
Talk to her.

But the day she was gone,
The day when everyone found out what you had done
You turned around,
Confused,
Unaware
And asked
Who is she?


©  Neha Singh



***
Grade 8
***

Faded ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

You just rest there,

calmly sewing your soul

 to your sins.



Have you no conscience?



Your misdeeds are

a compass

steering you in

the wrong direction.



The last remaining

pieces of you ,

the only remembrance

I have left

slowly disappear and

progressively float away,

out of my reach.



As I try to

recollect what

is left you

I soon realize that

you have vanished.


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

The Doctor's Waiting Room / Ambition ~ Minenhle Hadebe

The Doctor's Waiting Room.

The doctor's waiting room.
The room full of mystery
And the fear of diagnosis

I hate the doctor's waiting room
No, I have a fear of the doctor's waiting room
It's been a driving force in my life,
As long as I can remember
Yet when you look closely,
You'll find that it is just a room
Meant for waiting


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


Ambition

My ambition in life is not wealth,
power or high social status
my ambition is simple enough
I shall not run after riches


©  Minenhle Hadebe


***
Grade 8
***

I'm Sorry ~ Momelezi Mdingi

I'm sorry that I'm human
I'm sorry that I have a heart,
which I have no control over
when it comes to you

I'm sorry that you're always on my mind,
that I'm always wishing you could be mine
I'm sorry I can't resist your beauty,
that when you talk I listen,
because the sound of your voice
doesn't leave me much of a choice

I'm sorry I believe dreams come true,
but that was proven to me the day I finally met you

I'm sorry that I want you so bad
that if death was the only way to be with you
I would dig my own grave

You might hate me for the things I do
You might hate me for the things I say

But every beat of my heart
pumps blood filled with my love for you,
blood filled with the determination to get you

So all I can say is
I'm sorry.


©  Momelezi Mdingi


***
Grade 8
***

Snake! ~ Nosipho Mtshali

In places far and near
All over the entire world
Lives the most dreaded creature
Snake!
Passionate to find his food
Green with envy
of that sly beast
that got to his delicious feast first
But when you take a closer look at this interesting figure
You'll realise you shouldn't fear.


©  Nosipho Mtshali


***
Grade 8
***

Abandoned ~ Grade 8 Group Poem

You were the one chosen to carry me
You were the one capable of loving me
You were the one to raise me
You were the one to enlighten me,
Brighten my days,
Show me right from wrong

But then
You let me go
When people said
"This is your child'
All you said was "So"

I always wonder
Who are you?
Where are you?
The woman who's blood
is pumping through my veins
The woman with the
love that has limits

I don't know you
Will I ever?
Only you can answer that
Because you left me

Abandoned!


Nosipho Mtshali 
Samke Mvelase 
Momelezi Mdingi
Muhammad Bux


***
Grade 8
***

Strangers Again ~ Chichi Kamushi

We were inseparable
We were like brother and sister
Until we drifted apart,
We became a definition of loneliness.

Our bond was broken
And not a word was spoken
No communication whatsoever
Memories started to fade away forever,

You knew everything about me
My fears, favourite things and what I wanted to be
But we went from strangers to friends,
And back to strangers again.


©  Chichi Kamushi


***
Grade 8
***

Humanity ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

And in the end

we are all just human,

each one of us

is like a single grain of sand

laying on the beach.



Humanity is multi-faceted

Sometimes it’s exquisite,

sometimes it is unpleasant,

and sometimes it is just low.



We extend and inhabit

 until there are no more

 lingering resources,

and then extend  yet again.


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

A Farewell to My Classmates ~ Samke Mvelase

As I sit here in class

I observe my dearest friends

and look forward to the year coming to an end

we had so many moments together

most good and some bad.

Those blonde moments we had

Mostly, just all the memories

I will always remember the good times

and erase the bad and all the hate

with happiness and sadness

we all go out the door.

With great hope and expectations

for the future .

I will never forget my crazy classmates

and the quiet ones.

©  Samke Mvelase


***
Grade 8
***

'Til We Meet Again ~ Neha Singh

You told me not to cry when you were gone,
But this feeling's overwhelming
Its much too strong.

I'm missing you like crazy.
I now feel this emptiness,
Like something's missing.
Then I remembered,
It's because I lost you.

Grief has taken over me.
I didn't want to lose you...
And what about goodbye?
Did you forget all about that?

Now I'm left with discomfort.
You were my confidant.
You were my other half.
But most of all,
You were my best friend.

Our friendship was forever,
But it pains me that we aren't together.
I need my best friend.
I need you.

Not one day passes that I don't miss you,
That I don't miss your presence.

But the day will come,
When I will meet you again
In the afterlife I guess.

I'll be waiting for that day,
When we are finally reunited.
I'll have my best friend again,
And then maybe I'll be complete once more.


©  Neha Singh


***
Grade 8
***

Heartbreak, Heartache ~ Grade 8 Group Poem

Heartache...
Heartbreak...
That's what it felt like,
To be discriminated against.
And for what exactly?
For just being me.
So what I like the same sex.
So what I was attracted to you

Isn't happiness all that counts?
So why take my happiness away?
Take me away from you.
Why make me unhappy?
Discrimination shouldn't,
Taking you away from me.

Same sex.
Same love.
This should be okay to.
It's nothing new.
Think of the future,
In with new.
Out with discrimination,l
Take your opinions to.

I understand now,
Equality is key.
You are you,
And I am me.
I shouldn't think this way,
I guess it should be okay.
I'm done with discrimination,
I want equality to.

So why be reluctant to accept us?
If you can be,
Why can't we?



Jessica Gibbons 
Neha Singh 
Rachel Sinclair 
Sajna Ramdin
Jadida Kalim 
Abdur Asmal 
Nirvay Parthab


***
Grade 8
***

Time ~ Palisa Molefe

 My mother once asked, what is the time
 I stood there young and innocent
 not even knowing how to rhyme
   
 I thought to myself
 what is the time?
 is it time for laughter
 is it time for tears
   
 I thought and thought
 and then I realised
 it was time to think
 about time
   
 was it ever a crime
 just to sit
 and think about time?


©  Palisa Molefe


***
Grade 8
***

Afraid ~ Aphelele Nxumalo

I am afraid of what might become of me

I am afraid of what I will gain and what I might lose

Afraid of the good and bad

That will, and have happened

What will become of me?

I have been so many places in my life and time

I have wished that this tomorrow 

Will be different than the one's I've experienced

Can't it be a better tomorrow?

What lies in my tomorrow ....

Must be a long-term keeping so I won't have to borrow

Peace and war that runs in my mind

Thinking that, will I ever be kind ....

What will become of me?

I lay in your arms to feel insecure

I am the one who sees deep in your soul 

Yo find the missing and make it whole

For I love thee till depth, breath and height

For my soul can reach for you when feeling out of sight

What will become of me?

You play my heart to a beautiful beat

I still stay in your heart with my special seat

The darkness and I always fight

Will I ever get to see the light

What will become of me?

Life plays a game

That has no-name

Nothings different its all the same

I ask myself, who can I blame?

For a lot is running in my mind, but in the end it all came ...

©  Aphelele Nxumalo


***
Grade 8
***

Thoughts of Life ~ Natasha de Jong

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT,
NO, ACTUALLY GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WORK HARD
AND NEVER GIVE UP
HONESTLY
LIFE IS HARD
LIFE HAS ITS UPS AND DOWNS
BUT WE ONLY SEEM TO NOTICE THE DOWNS

ONCE AGAIN LIFE IS HARD
BEING ABUSED SOCIALLY
BY FRIENDS
THEY ARE ONLY WITH YOU
IN YOUR SHINING HOUR
BUT SEEM TO DISAPPEAR
IN YOUR DARKEST HOUR
BUT WORST OF ALL THEY LEAVE SCARS
SCARS THAT NEVER HEAL
WHY
MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE IT'S DAMAGE
DONE TO THE MIND AND SPIRIT
NOT THE BODY

AGAIN LIFE IS HARD
BUT IN LIFE
I TOOK ALL MY BRUISES
I TOOK ALL MY LUMPS
I FELL DOWN
AND STILL GOT RIGHT BACK UP
IN LIFE
WE ALWAYS WANT TO BE THE BEST
WE ALWAYS WANT TO BE POPULAR ONE
BE THE PRETTIEST
OR SEEM TO BE THE RICHEST
JUST SO WE CAN BE LOVED BY CERTAIN PEOPLE
WE CHANGE OUR SELF IMAGE
WE WEAR MAKE-UP
BY DESIGNER CLOTHES
AND GET THE LATEST PHONE

BUT SOMETIMES
YOU JUST HAVE TO FOCUS ON YOUR OWN LIFE
AND IGNORE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY
BECAUSE IT'S YOUR LIFE
HATERS WILL ALWAYS HATE
SO KILL THEM WITH SUCCESS
AND BURY THEM WITH A SMILE


©  Natasha de Jong


***
Grade 8
***

I am me, I love being me ~ Sphelele Majola

I am fearfully and wonderfully made by God
I was not made for you to be the judge of me

I was not created to please people
neither was I created to tease people

I am me
I will change for no one
and I will let no one rule my life

I am a wonderful individual
and not your personal slave

I may have flaws
but so do you
Nobody is perfect

No one is given the right to judge others
Or to force them to do something that they don't want to do

All those artificial stuff may make you feel beautiful
But beauty is only skin deep
It's what's inside of you that matters

I love being me...
Imperfect as I am!


©  Sphelele Majola


***
Grade 8
***

Stranger's Corner ~ Mika Datadin

There, in the dark corner,
There's a stranger
He seems familiar, he seems calm,
He doesn't seem to be a danger
I'm sure his name starts with a "C"
I'm not sure where I know him from
It's quite worrying
To add to it,
He's getting up
Coming towards me,
Shoulders slumped,
Head bowed
I don't feel frightened though
I have faced more threatening people
And those people, were not even my foes
"That wasn't right," he said
I asked him; "How would you know?"
He simply smiled and whispered
"I learnt good from bad long, long ago,"
It suddenly came to me
I know his kind
This is no gloomy room
This is my mind
And he is no stranger to me
This is not nonsense
I know his name
He is conscience.


©  Mika Datadin


***
Grade 8
***

Midnight Walk ~ Yusra Asmal

It was midnight dark

And me alone in a park

Along came a gruesome creature

With fiery eyes and a frightful feature

He stopped in front of me

I looked at him, nothing but a flea

I ran along

He followed singing a song

“You’ll come with me

As should be

You will make my dinner,

Which’ll leave me no thinner”

Along came a sudden blow,

And that’s all I know


©  Yusra Asmal


***
Grade 8
***

Life of a Springbok ~ Keshlin Naidoo

There runs he...
Hungrily through the precarious bush-veld.
Growling for prey
but none to be seen.

Cubs run and play,
but lion and lionesses are not seen.

What a summers day
as elephants quench their thirst thoroughly
at the wide wavy lake.


Bang, he falls,
then mourns out loud.
Oh, what a surprise!

Hunters are seen.

There is he,
dragged by them to their huts
and hanged,

He dries up,
they cheer up.

"Delicious dry meat," says them.


©  Keshlin Naidoo


***
Grade 11
***

Dancing Angels ~ Sarah Tandy

There is a lightness to them,
The way they sway as if nothing will break their unknown path.
Barely captured, an eyelash of white
Souring through the open freedom…
So light.
Many a face they pass
But not a whisper is heard.
A flash of a life
Purely for the joy of a dance.


©  Sarah Tandy


***
Matriculant 2013
***

Time Will Tell ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

Perhaps in time

I will learn

to forgive you,

And one day I will

accept you with all

your pride and arrogance.



I was blinded

by your words

and refused to listen

about what others

had to say.



Perhaps it wasn’t my place

To try and change you

into something

you are not.



I tried to bring out

the best in you

but maybe there was none.



Because even in a world

full of good

there is bad,

even in the most darkest

circumstances there is light

and even in the rhythm

of my heart that

no longer pounds...

there is you.


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 8
***

Passion of Four ~ Grade 8 Group Poem

My passion is to dance

I started at four when I first got the chance

Now I don't give anything else a second glance,

this is the passion in which I`m trying to advance.

My passion is not something simple,

My passion gives me a thrill.

Behind my passion lies a lot of history,

But for now, my passion will remain a beautiful mystery.

My passion is food,

we all know its real good.

Different foods for different moods,

touch my food and trust me, I`ll become rude.

My passion is drawing and painting,

drawings show my emotions and feelings,

I do enjoy doing it in my extra time.

Everybody has a different passion,

For some it could be fashion,

For some it could be action,

But what makes a passion a passion,

Is that person`s devotion and reaction.

Mehnaz Jamil
Mika Datadin
Hannah Narrandes
Kudisha Singh


***
Grade 8
*** 

Do You Think We Are Still Human? ~ Jadida Kalim

Do you think we are still human?
I ask after what we have all done
And what we are still doing
We are taking away things
That we shouldn't have been taking
We are taking away lives
That we shouldn't have been taking
Do you think it's right?
We are putting a price tag on people
And selling them as slaves
Abusing each other for no reason
Stealing and kidnapping our friends and families
Killing our own brothers and sisters
For our own greed
Exchanging diamonds for more shattering of blood
Abusing alcohol and drugs
Destroying each other just because of our differences
Do you think god still happy with us?
So if you do any of these, I'm asking you
Do YOU think YOU are still human ?


©  Jadida Kalim


***
Grade 8
***

Pushed Down ~ Nombulelo Jili

(Dedication to my past)

I've been hurt,pushed down
and even treated like dirt.
It's been rough
It's been tough
people called me names
some even said I was playing games.

When I was pushed down
and finally got up,
someone wanted me to drown.
Sometimes I'd cry, but
they all just passed by.
People were mean to me,
some even tried to use me!

I've been there, done that
Been called fat and even a brat.
Don't mind what they say
all you should do each day,
is to pray!
I've been Pushed Down.


©  Nombulelo Jili


***
Grade 8
***

Life ~ Ayanda Sithole

One chance, nothing more
Either enjoy it or be hard core
Appreciate it or take it for granted
Make most of it count
Or sit back in doubt

One chance, nothing more
Either enjoy it or be hard core
Live it for you, not anybody else
Don't fight
But choose right

Party or study
Lead or mislead
Win or lose
Which do you choose?

Time waits for no man
Use it wisely
Before its too late
And its all over...


©  Ayanda Sithole


***
Grade 8
***

Life's Biggest Gift ~ Viyanka Moodley

Indulging in life's precious gifts we

find existence in love

Bestowed selflessly

upon us with intent

In amazement we act yet missing

its very purpose

To love and share and embrace all

in good and bad

To be thankful for the priceless moments

showered by life itself

A reason to exist

A reason to celebrate

Enjoy, love, live and be happy!

© Viyanka Moodley


***
Grade 8
***

Teased ~ Jessica Gibbons

Teased,
Laughed at,
Told she was stupid.
And for what? Because of her hair colour?
Hurt,
Cried,
Cut.
A little thing she was born with, made her
Suicidal,
Depressed,
Unhappy.
They didn't even know,
That inside she was falling apart.
This was them. They did this.
They never knew what could come of this all,
But then again they never do.
A few simple words, ended it all.
And only once she was gone,
Did they realize what they had done.


©  Jessica Gibbons


***
Grade 8
***

Mother ~ Muhammad Bux

When my days were dark, you were the rescuing lamp
When my days were bright, you were the reason
When my health was deteriorating, you were my aid
For better, for worse
My success, was your success
My despair, led to your despair
You never gave up on me,
And today, I proudly stand beside you
Like new have a bond that has chained our hearts together
Till death do us apart
Only to meet again


©  Muhammad Bux


***
Grade 8
***

Slithering Snake ~ Abdur Rahmaan Asmal

In the tall wavy green grass
the slithering reptile slithers through
the frightening mammal slithers in fear
hisssss

Proudly the slithering reptile coils up and relaxes in the sun
the bright yellow sun shines over the grassland
the snake moves sadly slowly
as the sun sets
the slithering reptile finds a spot on one of the rocks and coils
the slithering snake goes off to hunt....


©  Abdur Rahmaan Asmal


***
Grade 8
***

Childhood Memories ~ Kudisha Singh

Late at night when all is quiet,
I sit alone and think,
of days gone by, with such a quick blink.

My first day of school.
What an experience that was.

As I held my mother's hand,
And gazed up with a quick pause.

There were kids laughing, and playing all around,
I now longer felt the need to feel bound,
So I let go of my mother's hand,
and entered an amazing land.

So many years have gone by.
I've met new friends, and said goodbye to some,
with a sigh.

So many pressures of school,
So many voices demanding to be cool

I've said goodbye to Mr Gollywog,
The Tooth fairy and the Easter bunny
Thank you for your shoulder and laughing,
at my jokes even though they weren't funny.

I must pack you away now,
Maybe I will see you again,
With a heavy heart I give you away.
I hope to see you someday.

I will always be that little girl,
that had to have her say,
That threw you across the room when you wouldn't play,

That bandaged your foot,
When you fell off your seat.

That force fed you,
even when you didn't want to eat.

To me Mr Gollywog, you were my friend,
that never said a word, never
wanted me to be anything I am not.

You just smiled whenever I entered the room,
Even when all I did was gloom.

I may have changed in many ways,
I will always be your friend,
throughout my days.


©  Kudisha Singh


***
Grade 8
***

Lies ~ Grade 8 Group Poem

Why lie?
Is it worth it?
Do you benefit?
Yes No Maybe?
Do you really have to?

Lies, they backfire
Do you admire the intention of your desire
To be a liar
It stings like a bee
Do I let it go or leave it be?
               
What do you win?
Because this is a sin
It's a drug
And you're addicted

What about the people around you?
Do you care about their emotions
Slow down before you cause a commotion

You are not going anywhere with lies
The truth will come out
Come,Come back
The doors of conscience are calling
Why lie?



Lusanda Mhlongo
Aphelele Nxumalo 
Ayanda Sithole
Nombulelo Jili
Palisa Molefe 
Bulelwa Msomi


***
Grade 8
***

A Few Words for a Special Friend ~ Sajna Ramdin

A golden heart stopped beating
Two twinkling eyes at rest
God broke my heart just to prove
He only takes the best

I miss your bark
I miss the sound of your feet shuffling across the tiles
I miss your mischievous ways
And how you never failed to entertain me

It's so hard doing anything without you
Wagging your tail behind me
And following me wherever I go

To some you are forgotten
To others a memory of the past
But for me
Who loved and lost you
The memory will always last


© Sajna Ramdin


***
Grade 8
***

Time ~ Bulelwa Msomi

Time is the wrinkles on your face
Time moving at a fast pace
The memories that fade on
But are not gone
Time is of the essence
And so is your presence


©  Bulelwa Msomi


***
Grade 8
***

Sun ~ Mehnaz jamil

A fiery sphere
Of glowing wonder breathing beams of light
Into the darkness of the cosmos
Providing warmth
And giving life
But it is just
A mere speck,
One of many
Stars making the universe


©  Mehnaz Jamil


***
Grade 8
***

Where is Her Beauty? ~ Yashoda Naidoo

The beauty of a woman,
is part of nature's plan,
so a flower in the garden,
is worth two in the hand.

Beauty isn't flawlessness,
nor is it perfection,
it is not a pretty face,
with a light complexion.

Beauty isn't clothes,
not a size 4,
not the colour of your skin,
or the last makeup you wore.

You seek her beauty,
through her eyes,
because that's the doorway to her heart,
the place where love resides.

You need to look deeper,
as her beauty is not a facial mole,
but true beauty is a woman,
is reflected by her soul...


© Yashoda Naidoo


***
Grade 8
***

Life ~ Grade 8 Group Poem

YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE THAT'S THE MOTTO
LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST AND TAKE A PHOTO
HAVE THE DESIRE TO INSPIRE
AND INSPIRE BEFORE YOU EXPIRE

IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU WANT TO DO THEN DO IT
IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY THEN SAY IT
DON'T LIVE YOUR LIFE INSPITE
JUST KEEP YOUR GOALS IN SIGHT

FACT, YOU ARE GOING TO DIE SOME DAY
IT MIGHT NOT BE TODAY
LIFE IS SHORT
SO ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF IT
AS IF IT WERE YOUR LAST TO LIVE IT

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST
BUT DON'T THINK YOU'RE THE COOLEST
YOU MIGHT BE THE NEWEST
AND YOU ALSO MIGHT BE THE DUMBEST

LIFE IS SOMETHING WE ALL SHARE
JUST LIKE OXYGEN IN THE AIR
THE WAY WE LIVE IT IS UP TO US
WITH A NEGATIVE OR WITH A PLUS



Natasha De Jong 
Sphelele Majola 
Chi-Chi Kamushi  
Minenhle Hadebe


***
Grade 8
***

Before You Pull the Trigger ~ Rachel Sinclair

​Before you pull the trigger,
Kick the stool,
Swallow those pills,
Or make the last cut.
Just think, there are so many things more.
Places to see,
People to meet,
Music to take in,
Fields to frolic through,
Books to read,
Games to win,
Art to draw,
And most importantly people to love
So why,
do you wish
to be dead?


©  Rachel Sinclair


***
Grade 8
***

Hand ~ Jadee Mac Donald

In the light of the sun

I see the magnificent creation

And I marvel in its splender

Beauty

I happily sing the creators praise

As I gaze upon the blue heavens

And my heart dance and leap with joy

As the words bubble out of my soul

To be alive and see this wonder for myself

The touch God’s magic hands

©  Jadee Mac Donald


***
Grade 8
***

Finding Myself ~ Grade 8 Group Poem

Sometimes people's biggest fears,
are not themselves,
it's being judged by others from,
what people have said rather than done.

We are growing younger,
because of your dense behaviour,
you should have been silent,
instead of calling us a failure.

What you gain is satisfaction,
but, in us,
what is lost is compassion,
you are blind, you don't see,
you don't know, what is reality.

You don't speak,
because you are afraid,
sometimes peoples biggest fears,
are not themselves,
it's being judged by others from,
what people have said rather than done.



Yashoda Naidoo 
Siddhi Singh 
Kiara Magan 
Megan Thomas 
Jadee Macdonald 
Viyanka Moodley 
Yusra Asmal


***
Grade 8
***

The Stranger ~ Grade 8 Chain Poem

In the mist of the dark
awaits a stranger
face pale as he strolls in moon hour
gazing and thinking of his last life.

He never paid attention to miracles.
As he lifts his eyes staring at this wild world,
he thinks of his last prayer.
He knows not of the feeling that has come over him.

He moves in slow motion
along the delicate fields
and kneels down with his hand held up,
being at peace without motion.

Love never made his life easy;
his dark is dark like the moonlight;
his soul is as pure as a sweet comb of honey-bees.
All along this is what the stranger craved.


Nomonde Ngcamu
Khethiwe Mlambo
Sinqobile Dlamini
Palesa Mofokeng


***
Grade 8
***

A Lovely Day ~ Grade 8 Chain Poem

It is a lovely day, full of love and light,
trees gazing around tiredly,
rocks shining bright like diamonds in the sky,
insects sitting in the hot sun.

Children enjoy life to the fullest on the beach.
Honey-bees buzzing in the breezy, wild winds.
Wow! All these things can be called miracles.

Suddenly it becomes so dark.
The moon is shining but not providing any light.
The world is too dark to be black.


Phumla Ngubo
Mpumelelo Zondo
Sthandiwe Chonco
Siyabusiswa Ngcobo


***
Grade 8
***

Random Nature ~ Grade 8 Chain Poem

The moon makes the sky bright.
The trees wave in the cool air.
When you see the clouds fall, you know there is rain.
I see honey-bees buzzing in the clear blue sky.

This is a Miracle that we see all equal under the eyes of God.
We, as people, need to kneel down to our Lord of Grace.
As an hour passes, everything goes in motion.
Love is blind, but don't let it blind you.

Life is a blessing, don't ruin it.
Every hour, minute and second is precious so live it.
The world is a miracle, believe it.
A wild stranger floats away with is sins.


Luyanda
Sinakho
Thando
Nhlakanipho


***
Grade 8
***

Unanswered Prayers ~ Grade 8 Chain Poem

Every day starts with a prayer
when I'm done I walk away,
I see the honey bees flying.
Last night was quite surprising,
I saw the moonlight, slowly dying.

Why does life have to be so unfair,
Love so heart-breaking,
Hope so scarce
and Faith so rare?
Although I keep praying,
my prayers seem to vanish into thin air.


Mduduzi
Zinhle
Londiwe
Zonke
Zuzu


***
Grade 8
***

The Life of a Rugby Player ~ Grade 8 Chain Poem

If you are a rugby player, you can conquer all!
Nothing can defeat you, even the biggest wall.
A normal human being can be trained,
But a rugby player is untamed.

The main thing you must focus on is defeat
But be careful, you're not the one who'll get beat.
Stand tall and be proud
And make tackles that will impress the crowd!

Walk off the filed a winner!
Don't walk out a mischievous
or misbehaved player!
Be proud, not arrogant.


Malibongwe
Sandile
Linda
Mbuso


***
Grade 8
***

Dark Sky ~ Grade 8 Chain Poem

Gazing at the dark sky
with the stars shining brightly
before my eyes,
the insects are out in the fields
with wings moving in motion.

The night is filled with peace
with a swift wind blowing gently in the fields.
The only sound is the owl in the trees, hooting.
These are the types of things
that make you appreciate life.
The full moon makes me feel blessed.


Asanda Nyathi
Bongokuhle Ndaba
Nomonde Nkomonde
Zamaswazi Mhlanga


***
Grade 8
***

Life ~ Grade 8 Chain Poem

Life is a journey which you walk on your own
and sometimes has its ups and downs.
It's a rollercoaster in which you encounter miracles.
Along the way, you meet strangers who either make
your life a living hell or heaven on earth.
Sometimes in life you need to spread your wings and fly.

In life, you need to know yourself and what you want to achieve.
You find that special person whom you love and wish to keep,
the one you wish to take long strolls with on the beach.
In life, you'll have to forget the dark side and look at the bright side.
You have to live your life to the fullest.


Palesa Matshaya
Phiwakahll Khoza
Samkelisiwe Ngcobo
Nombulelo Dlamini


***
Grade 8
***

Personality Created by Reality ~ Phiwa Khoza

I remember the time
when I had a purpose in life
when I loved to live and
lived to love.

You might be wondering (and so am I)
where that girl has gone.
She existed only because reality hadn't
kicked in yet
but here she is, four years later,
displaying a personality created by reality
where she is suicidal at night
but wears a mask at dawn.

She was drowning in tears
but nobody saw her struggle.
She made pain look so good
without realising that it wouldn't
be able to wear off.

Today, I look at this girl
and applaud her for carrying
a burden a 14 year old shouldn't have to bear.
She's stronger than ever but held back,
genuinely laughs but still fakes a smile.


©  Phiwa Khoza


***
Grade 8
***

Fake ~ Palesa Matshaya

Her smile is fake
Her laugh is fake
She's dying inside
But you don't need to know that
So she fakes her smile
She fakes her laugh
She pretends everything is alright
Even though she's falling apart
Just for you...


©  Palesa Matshaya


*** 
Grade 8
***

Dear You ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

Dear: You

Please excuse my pride

when I declare that

You are the other

half to my shadow,

the eyes that glare

into my soul .

You are my virtue

and my conscious,

the other half of

my mind.



As a leaf dances

so carefree

in the warm

crisp air

so does my spirit

when I am with you.



You allow the waves

in the ocean

to elevate so high

they can reach

spiritual eternity.


You give my

soul a face

and my heart

a beat,

a purpose to

go on.



You complete me

And for that I will

always be indebted

to you.


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

Heartless ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

You slipped through my fingers

like water in a broken glass.

I am heartbroken without you

This sorrow is a lack of vigour.



You were the gift in my life

that was so beautifully rare,

But now that you are gone

I am filled with despair.



My heart is made of stone

that can never be broken.

I am just bitter

as cold as the winter wind.



It is a shattered bottle,

a river that has run dry.



Perhaps it is irreparable

Or lifelessly dead.

Or maybe my broken heart is

like a self-destructing  bombshell

that is will detonate soon.


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

Two Poems ~ Luyanda Mbatha

Black Mamba

In my old garden place
A fast, quick slithering creature,
Some are dangerous and kind,
Friendly-like,
Slidery
The camouflage
Spitting and slithering
Black mamba
This fast. friendly, kind and dangerous creature
This was a snake in my old garden place.


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


Diamante Poem: Day / Night

Day

beautiful, colourful

exciting, playful, interesting

morning, evening, night, midnight

sleeping, dreaming, warming

dark, cool

Night

©  Luyanda Mbatha

***

Grade 8

***

Sevenling (Nostalgia) ~ Shivek Goodoon

I have only 3 things: Fond memories of childhood;
Memories decimated by my own destructive imagination
And a deep desire to relive at least one of them.

I’ve always hated growing up;
My own imagination
And this deep desire that eats away at my soul.

Oh how I wish I was a child once again...


©  Shivek Goodoon


***
Grade 10
***

Dark ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

Today

the sky painted the landscape

in shades of black.



The sun was a candle

simply quenched out

by the coming darkness.



The illumination disappeared

and gave the stars

a chance to shimmer.



Yet

we all remained under

a blanket of blackness

that consumed as all.



Thousands of nightmares,

 those that begin happy

 and gain your faith,

 but end in screeching.



The dark, soundless trees

stand sentry above the dimness

 that darts through the vapour.


A precinct of horror.


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

Betrayed / Refract ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

Betrayed

You betrayed me,
like a tattered piece of paper
that will never have the ability
to appear the same again,
so is my creased heart.

Your dissipated actions
excruciatingly pierced my soul
with a jovial trigger.

What a perverse web
you have woven
when you prepare to deceive.

You tied down
my spirit and left.


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


Refract


Love is a prism.
refracting luminosity into
something striking and radiant.

It is an illusion….
A restricted and domineering,
an egotistical, self-sacrificing passion.

Love is the unmarked rain
that sanitizes my slate of despondency
yet miasmas my mind simultaneously.


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

Lethal ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

Just when all seemed to be alright

and contentment danced

the salsa in circles...



 this dark hand rises above my head

and drives it down again.



Out of the deadness

 of my distress,

 anguish slowly crept its way out,

 as a lethal black spider intertwined

 a weighted, diaphanous web

around the mourning that

clinched me to the casket.



My heart was sick.

This depression was lunacy

I’m insane with grief.



Without you is like living

with a lack of heat.

The fire within me

has been extinguished.



It is a burden

staggered beneath pain.


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

The Soul Is ~ Thaveshni Govender

The soul is the most amazing thing

You can't touch it
Nor feel it
Only when gone
Can you see the loss as clear as
Black and white
When alive its like a clear
Blue sky,
It lights up your smile
And makes you my dear love

But then autumn comes
And takes you away
Your kindred spirit
Gone
Like the melody of your life
Days mock like cerulean moons
Nothing to do but remember you
Days as dark as night
Without you here at home

And I wish your soul were
Here still
And not lost to us forever...


© Thaveshni Govender


***
Grade 10
***

You ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

If I could rewind time
just to be in your presence again
I would do it
at any expense it may be.
Even if it were for a moment
or two
I would give anything
Just to see you.
For the pain that you have left me with
is just too deep
That it simply cannot be summarized
in words that can be written.
I miss our everlasting conversations
and your eternal scent.


The struggles that I face
without you every single day
are struggles that I’m sure with never go away.


I miss the way you could make me smile
when nobody else could
and the way you used to
hold me tight
like I was the only one you cherished.


Time will heal everything
or at least that’s what they say
So I continually watch the clock
As time slowly fades away.


I miss those daily, inspirational messages
that I used to receive from you
And the way you could style my hair
And every day that goes on
I wish to see you there.


But now that you are gone
my heart is gone too
because I don’t think
I will meet
another person
who  will ever
compare to
you.


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

Farewell ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

Death took you away from me,
like a mosquito;
its extended, insidious proboscis removing
the last bit of life from its prey.

It was not a beautiful death.

Now I am unaided
Like a vacant home, unresponsive windows bitter and blind.
Like a wilted blossom,
shoulder flaccid,
arms limp at sides.

The final page of a diary printed in blood,
The tempest had passed, its last breath disregarded by the calm that chased.

It is not by machinery but by faith you are saved.


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

Now ~ Cheron L'Estrange

Laughing down the street
it's already early and we're late
but I don't want to let you go
you point to the sky,
say you've never seen a shooting star
and I smile at you
-every star in my sky,
reach into the heavens and touch your cheek
Don't promise me 'forever'
I've heard that said too often
-but I hope that now never ends


©  Cheron L'Estrange


***
Grade 10
***

Shattered Heart/ Significant ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

Shattered Heart

If a shattered heart
represents despair
please don’t shatter my heart
because you live there.
For my heart is weak without you
the birds within it no longer sing,
And under no circumstances will it ever be new
with another being.

My heart is like a piece of glass
that you have the power to break,
And although it isn’t precious brass
only you can stop the ache.

Without you I refuse to be free
Will you please come back and let my heart be?



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



Significant

Today, I feel so significant
as if I have the world at my feet
I can feel the strength running through my veins
And the last bit of trepidation leaving my  soul

I feel inimitable, invigorated and unregimented
No longer will I be intimidated.

Today I am independent!



© Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

Cliche/ Blanket ~ Cheron L'Estrange

Cliché  

I don't want to be
a cliché
making desperate attempts
at individuality
like everybody else
does
        Do we all think this?


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


Blanket

I'll knit myself a new blanket
of lies
and smother in it slowly.
A knitted blanket.
with plenty holes.
and many, many
clashing colours.
-just like the one you knitted me


©  Cheron L'Estrange


***
Grade 10
***

Cup of tea ~ Cheron L'Estrange

ace bowed
a cup of tea
that's surely more salty than sweet
logic and your calm words
ripping, raging against my insides
though somehow you are peace
in a world full of turmoil that
I myself have created
And I cannot think these things
I must not feel them
Must not cry nor rage
Must not hope
Because if you are a diamond
then I am just a paper box
And for all I am not,
I could never deserve you


©  Cheron L'Estrange


***
Grade 10
***

Why am I Happy? ~ Fezokuhle Nkehli

why am i happy , do you ask ?
well from the breath the Lord has breathed in me
to the sun that shines upon thee
the early morning air that creeps and shows compassion to those asleep
and brings calmness to those risen

why am i happy , do you still dare to ask me?
with my heart filled with overwhelming joy
from those whose names mean happiness and therefore is happiness
the body i dream to see in reality but shall remain pixelated
though when the wind of August stops into the Day of the first
shall my heart arrive from pixels but now to a physical
and greater joy shall be instilled

why am i happy ? i will tell you why .
the two which apart of me to form three
the two which words and faces comfort me to their familiarity
the laughter that bursts so loud that the moon hears and cracks into three
the three musketeers , my ladies, my girls the woman i shalt never leave

why am i happy ?
it is simple i happy because happiness is within me
and brought out by the wonders the Lord has blessed me with

now that is why i am Happy.


©  Fezokuhle Nkehli


***
Grade 11
***

Reckless ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

How can I love you?

when you are so Reckless

in everything you do.



How can I fall deep into your eyes

and look into your soul

when I can sense your predation?

like a lion does its prey



Why do I feel so Vulnerable

When I am with you

You are so hazardous

But yet , when I am with you

I feel out of harm’s way



Please don’t regulate the monsoon!


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

Broken Windows ~ Cheron L'Estrange

what should I do
when the windows to your soul are smashed,
lined in broken glass
and I can't fix them
your salt washed cheeks
are licked by shadows
of shark infested ponderings

lights dim and disappear
wave after wave crashes
through the sea-weed green
of my ocean eyes
and I become
plagued
by a need
deeper than the darkest thoughts
dwell


©  Cheron L'Estrange


***
Grade 10
***

Without You ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

I feel so bare without  you

like dark clouds which ominously cover the sky

but will not release rain to soothe the parched earth of your soul.


as Empty as lake without water



without you I am like a clock

that never moves,



useless...



your sun has vanished

while it is yet another day.

Perhaps you were ready to leave

But I was not ready to say goodbye



I am falling apart

And people will stand around watching it happen,

 but can't do much to make the pain go away.



Senseless…



How do I go on without you?


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

I am Sorry ~ Thandeka Mthembu

Sorry I tried to bring you glee
too bad its not with me
you wanted to be..
Sorry that you never on my mind
Lately
since you lost what I thought I'd find

I am sorry for all the flaws
Sorry for how perfect I
find my imperfections
I am sorry I just spoke too soon
of how I loved..
Loved and adored you
I am sorry you used to provide
me with joy..
Joy that could take anyone to the moon
Sorry I couldn't join the cue
but instead you made me apart of your crew.

I am sorry for all the love
so sweet I tried to give
but all I hold onto now is my bitter treat.
I am sorry for you I could not wait
with each passing day love turned into hate
Sorry for that fateful day
I coughed up the courage to ask
but your silence my smile did unmask..
sorry I had to walk away
because after that day I could not stay
For this I am truly sorry..


©  Thandeka Mthembu


***
Grade 10
***

Two Poems ~ Mohammed Jamil

HAIKU


The orange sunrise
lifts the veil of Night and wakes
Day from it's slumber.


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


The warning of the dead

The dead whisper and warn the living
longing for what once belonged to them.

However...

The living pay no heed
to the warnings
and they live their lives
making the same mistake
as their predecessors
continuing the cycle
of life and death.


©  Mohammed Jamil


***
Grade 10
***

Two Poems ~ Waseem Asmal

Tanka

A bright burning flame
glows through the darkness
and melts the icy cold
of the Winter's Night.


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


ROME

Rome, mighty and at the
height of its power,
ruling the whole world

but now...

Time has seeped into
the cracks and crevices of
the once mighty Rome
breaking it's walls
and leaving it crumbling in the dust.

© Waseen Asmal


***
Grade 10
***

5 Micro Poems ~ Verusha Pillay

Time Stops

He stood, still at the corner shop
waiting...
For what?
For who?
He stood longing...
For what?
For who?
He stood wanting the time lost

Curtain of Fire

It burst!
Burst into a thousand molten stars
They lit the skies in sunset hues
Spewing, sulphurous, soot
Upon an unknowing world

The Predator

Look...
Into the black depths
Of your predator's eyes
See as hunger overtakes
Watch as the scarlet letter of death
Falls, because you are hunted

At Death's Door

His darkened silhouette cast shadow
On my dying life
His sharpened scythe reflected the bleakness
Of my eyes
His voice shouted the call of
Oblivion's abyss

Island Universe

Its circular bound-
Encompasses the stars and moons
Its platinum arms wrap the galaxy into one
It's the grey mists that draw us in
It's the pivot of destiny


©  Verusha Pillay


***
Grade 10
***

A Start ~ Nazeem Khan

Waltzed into the class
At the beginning of the year,
Not knowing what to expect.

As the second term began,
We were forced into poetry.
A whole month long of it.

April was optional, fortunately

However here we are now in
The middle of September, forced
Into poetry, like a minor into chores

Here I am in physics class, not
focused on vectors but rather on
poetry, and writing this very poem.

April was optional, fortunately.


©  Nazeem Khan


***
Grade 10
***

Death Is ~ Thandeka Mthembu

Death is the most hurtful thing.
when it crawls through shades of black
and grey.
It crosses skies Navy blue
off to catch next mornings dew.

As Autumn lingered ,how silent he
came late March with careful
knock on his door for him to open
not ignore...

The thought of cipher tears drown
in that sad melody blown through,
winter's icy cold breeze, still cripples me
When all I'll have then is distant
memories

but all is well
for sometimes one must cross
the troubled waters of my
fair town Ladysmith
And how I wish...
how I wish the fresh gale of
spring will not only blow the tear away
but bring happiness to stay..


© Thandeka Mthembu


***
Grade 10
***

Love Is ~ Shanel Ranjith

Love is the most passionate thing
Like waves of the ocean on a cloudy day
It bleeds shades of cerulean
When he told me he loved me forever
And infinity was our melodious endeavor
But...
Like the Autumn colored leaves
Our passion ignited in cipher
Flaming red
But alas soon changed color
Until it was burning dead
Thorn street pricking me
And I wish with every breath I take
To find my Rose each moment I wake...


©  Shanel Ranjith


***
Grade 10
***

Freedom ~ Methembe Mvelase

Man fights his offspring to prove he's right,
To show off his uncontested might
He murders, he kills, he destroys, he builds,
in his pursuit of a dream he'll never catch.

Imprisoned in a dream he can never escape from
Ever since the day he had came upon
Inspiration for him  to go through the trials
To fight for nothing, to bring his people smiles

They told him "To obtain freedom you will have to fight for it.
You must never turn back, you must be willing to die for it"
He believed what he was told, and did what he must do.
Now freedom he has obtained, and his blood spilled for what's "true".

©  Methembe Mvelase


***
Grade 10
***

A Poem About Physics & Other Poems ~ Minenhle Shabalala

A Poem AQbout Physics

Newton, Einstein, Schrodinger and Pascal
All these men have made my life rather dull.
Ohm, Avogadro, Watt and Planck
You have all made my mind go completely blank


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


Minnie

Minimalistic beings of which
Indigenous people are plain to understand
Never to see our faces
Never to hear our voices
In their own central establishment
Empty headed of the civilisation outside their walls

Acrostic Poem


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


A Haiku 

Salty
Yet very forgiving
Your tears of apology are accepted


©  Minnie Shabalala


***
Grade 10
***

Ocean's Awake ~ Raisha Ramkhelawan

The sea is crashing onto the shore
Savagely enveloping the bare ground
While the waves roar for more.

The sun hiding behind a tree
Kissing the horizon's bare feet
For only the water to see

The clouds like a mass of cotton candy
For everyone to marvel
Swaying as though it's drunk on brandy.

The passionate love between the water and sky
Come into view
The waves glisten in the moonlight
The sun fading by with a heavy sigh

The ship docks on the harbor
The ocean is awake
While the moon disappears


©  Raisha Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 10
***

Snakes/ Winter is Beautiful ~ Aryan Mootheeram

Snakes

Snakes slither silently
monthly shedding their sins.
Moving on, motive driven
to suffice for the magnificence.


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


Winter is Beautiful

The trees bare their leaves
exposing their serene souls

Flowers hide encased by a sheath
of warmth and safety

Love is ignited by glowing fires
in the hearth of homes

Winter is so wonderfully wicked
in the most unorthodox of ways

©  Aryan Mootheeram


***
Grade 10
***

When I am Gone & Other Poems ~ Verusha Pillay

When I’m Gone

When I die,
Why would you remember me?
Because my tongue was a knot of ties,
Because my perfection was purely imperfection,
Because my precise, poise was nothing but a fading phantom.
Or because you looked through the muddy, shine of my eyes and saw me,
Because… you heard the roar in the stillness of the forest,
Because you knew the wisdoms behind the gurgles,
Because you truly knew me.
Why would you remember me?
Because I was worth it…


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


Springs Breath

The pureness seeps in-
The wondrous, whiteness of wilt is withdrawn.
The crystals demise-
Through the green-blue blooms,
On the suns field of joyousness.


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


Empyrean

She hugs me,
Wrapping me in her misty arms,
And I look into her cerulean eyes.
As swirling, clouds of bliss pass through,
I see the torment and turmoil that turns them grey,
The reddish-pink of disappearing memories,
To turn to the darkness of night.
Your forceful nature becomes me,
For you are constant.

©  Verusha Pillay


***
Grade 10
***

Your Beauty Does Not Compare ~ Yajna Ramawoothar

What shame does the extraordinary
feel compared to your beauty?
I love and need you like life
needs the delicate rays of sunlight.

Your hands rough, like the difficulties of life
but oh so gentle like the joys and pleasures of life.
I adore and grow towards you like plants do to the sun.
I wilt and saddened away when you not there, like all
plants do when their sun is about to go.

Because your beauty is like sun to me, to powerful
to look at for long, but to wonderful to look away.
I feel iced and cold,whenever you gone.

As the plants do when the sun seems not to be there in winter,
left cold and iced.Every day I adore you like no other,
wanting to face you forever.


©  Yajna Ramawoothar


***
Grade 11
*** 

You ~ Mohammed Moola

Your beauty overwhelmed me,
Your face so gentle,
Your smile so sweet,
Your voice so soft like heavenly melodies to my lobes.

You bring me sunshine when
I only see rain,
You bring me light
In the darkness of the night,
You take the pain
From my suffering,

How is it that your soul is so warm?
In a world so cold,
How is it that your smile resembles
The stars of the night sky.

Tell me what makes you
who you are,
For with your touch and with your smile
You can fill this hole in my mind,
You are my sunshine,
My shining star,
Everything I'm not, You Are!


©  Mohammed Moola


***
Grade 11
***

She is the Addiction ~ Ndabezinhle Gumbi

She is the addiction of my very own thoughts
The light and missing piece to my dark soul
like a beautiful bouquet carefully wrought
The majestic being that makes my life incomplete but whole

Her flaws perfectly placed in their position
The reason that sunlight becomes irrelevant
because she brightens up my day; The intrusion
of my concentration but yet she is so distant

She warms my heart and my thoughts but my body feels cold
Too distant for my hands to touch
Too distant for me to hear her sweet toned,
voice; Too distant for me to do much

I paid love's price, I felt painful and weary
but that would never change because I loved her too deeply


©  Ndabezinhle Gumbi


***
Grade 11
***

Because ~ Sabelo Mfusi

Because no one gets it
No one gets the joy, the indescribable and
incomparable bliss you usher into my life.
Your smile creates wonders far
and above man’s understanding of love.
I give my Happiness to you because…
Well… you generated it.

God is divine and pure and just
As my love for you.
An angel in its purest form
And a blessing in its paramount form
As proof that divinity subsists.

Dilemmas, plights, predicaments
Could never torment Our Love
Our Devotion, Our Intimacy.
Because You Are My Heart,
You Are My Every filament of Happiness.
Because You’re Mine

I LOVE YOU


©  Sabelo Mfusi


***
Grade 11
***

My Angel ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

They say time heals everything
but I assure you that these past few days
have been heartbreaking without you

I miss everything about you
There isn't a second that goes by that I don't think of you
You were my everything

You have shown me so much in this world
but not how to go on without you.
My days feel numbered as I remember laying beside you

Wrap me in your wings and keep me safe
Until we meet again

And remember...
I love you more than the world will ever come to know.


©  Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Grade 11
***

My Morning Love ~ Phethile Dhlamini

Let the kiss of which I plant
upon the soil of my coffee beans,
Be rooted strongly unto my cup;
As its warmth insulates my heart.

That of which awakens my
morning during the night
as the feeling travels through
the holes of my veins
like a ray of sunshine reflecting light
through a glorious prism.

It is truly the alarming feeling
that scrambles the egg of our innocence
and toasts to our burnt dreams.
Yet, butters us up for the meaning
of pure morning love.

Without quenching the thirst of the
forbidden fruit
Nor moving the anchors
beneath our foot.


©  Phethile Dhlamini


***
Grade 11
***

Love is Stupid ~ Zama Nkabinde

Love is stupid
can't deal with this, bring back Cupid
because in love the same things keep on happening
it's like talking to someone who isn't listening

In love,
you hate and then love again
there's no way I'll be able to take that pain
my eyes just won't be able to handle so much rain
it will even begin to flood
I'll go mad and start cutting myself until I see blood

In love,
you smile and cry
curse and wish to die
I see these young girls committing suicide
only because the one they loved and trusted decided to lie
ignoring it, some tried
scared of pain, they cried

In love you,
you have to choose but have no choice
because no matter how loud you talk, you still have no voice
you try to speak, but you bite your tongue
you try to go but you can't because he'll close the door
you'll stay even though you don't love him no more

In love,
you break-up then make-up
pick up those pieces no matter how badly it shattered when it fell
being with him is like heaven and hell
you hold even if you want to let go...

...and I,
I don't know what to do anymore
I'm happy with the pain (I guess)
I love looking like a mess (I guess)
because loving-you-not is impossible.


©  Zama Nkabinde


***
Grade 11
***

Building Blocks of Love ~ Nobuhle Manquma

Love

is a magical

house. A house built

on the extraordinary kind of

foundation. Cements of the

spiritual, emotional and physical binding

together to form one.

Love is a being living within, waiting to be fed

and grown into something special.

Love is imperfect. Love is God.

Love is You and Me.

© Nobuhle Manquma


***
Grade 11
***

The Weight of Love ~ Aryan Mootheeram

Love used to flow from you
like rain in the amazon,
Abundant

Now your scorn scorches
the plains of my heart
like a drought in the desert
How am I still addicted
to the taste of your love
if I am scorched more
often than Loved?

For love should outweigh
scorn
But for me, that is but an
impossible dream.


©  Aryan Mootheeram


***
Grade 10
***

Pine Trees ~ Nerisha Maghoo

Snow coated pine trees
diamond needles light the aisle,
enchantment filled me.
Midwinter's allure at prime,
arms frolic with gusty tune.


©  Nerisha Maghoo


***
Grade 10
***

Our Meaning ~ Anonymous

As I look into your eyes
I see a thousand angels singing harmoniously
amongst the background of fluttering stars.
This seduces me closer as dark to mysterious night.


And so when you, mi amor, and I
come together in a conjoined definition of love
my heart grieves as he knows it is not infinite.


But sorrow and grieve is destroyed
As I feel your succulent lips upon my cheek
This my love is our meaning of loves peak.


Anonymous


***
Grade 11
***

Stars ~ Nsiki Gwala

Guardian angels.
The kindred of Nebula
Adrift in the sky.
An everlasting beauty,
Hindered by the breaking dawn.


©  Nonsikelelo Gwala


***
Grade 10
***

A Day Spent with You ~ Meleza Jali

I sat staring blankly
at your face,
wondering
thinking
if it was truly you

I sat staring blankly
at your  beastly face

reminiscing the days
days filled pain
My mind cringed
at the thought of you

I sat staring blankly
at your wicked face

The times when I
felt as small as the second to the hour
Why?
You were of no value too

So many questions
few too answers
I sat staring
at your lousy face

And there
you sat, staring
blankly back at me.

©  Meleza Jali



***
Grade 10
***

End & Other Poems ~ Karabo Masinga

END



A friend is whom one knows, likes and trusts.
Its difficult to find a special bond like us.
A best friend is the one friend who is closest to you,
With joy, laughter and mischief you do.
A boyfriend is male friend whom you share feelings for.
Who should to you - love, cherish and adore.
A girlfriend is a female friend whom you are involved with.
Beautiful & graceful like mother earth.
Sadly all this relationships eventually end
Even though you try so hard to mend.
All of this words conclude in E...N...D.
That's how you know it was never meant to be.

A substance with energy and is good.
It has no end and it is food.




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



STUDY



Study, study now.
Mother insists I do so.
Studying never!




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




SORRY



"Sorry" is a word of sorrow,
Which sometimes the meaning is so hollow.
Apologies will only be accepted
When we know our hearts are protected.




©  Karabo Masinga




***
Grade 10
***

The Last of Us & Other Poems ~ Ivan Mac Donald

The Last of Us


We stood there...cold alone,
Hoping a survivor would save us.
We stood there…with nothing left,
But the hope of a second sunshine.

We stood there…empty handed,
With nothing for us to protect ourselves

We stood there…Not willing to stay,
And live longer with pain.

We stood there…waiting,
For death to claim us back home.




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




Whitney

Whitney…We used to have so much,
However when you left me
I felt too much pain to live on further.

The pain that shot threw my heart
Never leaves my memory at night.

Everlasting love is what we called it
Yet if it’s everlasting…Why am I alone and in pain




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


Love

Strengthening
And full of hope
Your love only makes me stronger




©  Ivan Mac Donald




***
Grade 10
***

Snowflake ~ Verusha Pillay

You are my snowflake.
As you awake
A frozen, fragile, fracture
Entirely unique,
A diamond that will not break,
With satin, smooth, skin
Not feeble or weak,
But, an endless lake
Of wisdom and wistful, wonder
Longing to take a peak.
For you are my strake.
My one and only snowflake.




©  Verusha Pillay




***
Grade 10
***

Sevenling (He Adored Time) ~ Nolulama Msomi

He adored time
Preferred my music on a fortissimo
loved the crisp of a fine apple



However I could not hold a note
but could write him jazz pieces
and smell the pungent smell of his cologne 



but he hated flowers




©  Nolulama Msomi




***
Grade 10
***

Tiger ~ Mohammed Jamil

The striped feline
splashes through the water
freeing himself of all his impurities.

As his orange and black fur
glistens in the sun,
it catches the eye of the Hunter
and the unseen bullet
comes down and slays

the majestic beast.




©  Mohammed Jamil




***
Grade 10
***

Life ~ Waseem Asmal

Life is the most interesting thing.
It sometimes brings joy
yet sometimes brings hardships.
Your life can change in an instant
just as the sky changes from blue to grey.
Last spring was so wonderful
the flowers began to bloom
but now...
Autumn has sunk in
the plants have begun to die
and the sad melody of Autumn lingers in the air.
The beautiful looking Drakensburg mocks
the rest of the world...

And I wish that one day I understand life.



© Waseem Asmal




***
Grade 10
***

Sevenling (3 Elements of Nature) ~ Sayash Rampersadh

3 elements of nature
fire water and air
bound by the mother herself



Do not scream, for it
is rain that nurtures,
not thunder



Choose your words wisely




©  Sayash Rampersadh




***
Grade 10
***

Dream ~ Thandeka Mthembu

Dream...

From my toes in you crept,
slowly working your way up
like and infectious virus
at my lonely hour
my mind was free for you to devour..
right as the young night
wept..

skipping my spine..
you cut open my soul
and spilled my deep dark secrets,
I had mistaken as mine.
With each image you possessed me
Destroying all the norm I know,
setting me free
you took me on a journey...



© Thandeka Mthembu




***
Grade 10
***

I Saw ~ Jivana Reddy

I saw
Her face filled with fear
Never knowing what is happening around her
She takes a giant leap of hope, towards her future
Her lungs suffocating beneath her timid face
her voice mumbling fear of her fate
Her hands shivering the cold away

I saw
Her hair electrocuted with horror
rain shimmering down her cheeks
Her vivid  blue eyes
Shown with great flamboyant, sound of thunderstorms
Her breathless voice, sneaks upon attention
I saw
Her terrified of bereavement

I saw it, pull me right in with her
pain rushed down, tearing her heart
Slashing it open, unable to be treated
I saw
the innocence dripping out of her eyes,
every bit of it staining her face
She's gone -
No more pain.




©  Jivana Reddy




***
Grade 10
***

Just a Poem ~ Anonymous

A plane that flew sky high
was a love so promising,
but the winds in life blew it around
leading to a down spiral,
a lot of denial
and hate filled regret
 The lovers are left regretfully saying:
  like rain I fell for you....




Anonymous




***
Grade 10
***

Sevenling (I Hate Only 3 Things) ~ Gugu Buthelezi

I hate only 3 things
NASA, fair-weather
and rockets.


"Enjoy" being launched,
shoulders cold from summer snow
And going into space.


But nobody really cares...




© Gugu Buthelezi




***
Grade 10
***

The Cherry Blossom & Other Poems ~ Caitlin Struwig

The Cherry Blossom



Blush
Gentle Gust
Pink moons
Bless
Twisted
Dark nooks
Curving, sloping trunk
Papery skin
Glistens.




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



We pass our dreams,
And take the other road,
But then nothing is right.
We are the ones who choose,
But we never do what's right.




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



Their melodic hum,
Their sweet sense,
Their eye for beauty,
Is almost gone.
Because here they lie
Below where they used to fly



© Caitlin Struwig




***
Grade 10
***