Wednesday 29 April 2015

That Car! ~ Charné Williams

The smell of leather in your ride.
The smoke of the tires as you speeds past the red light.
As the camera flashes, as you exceed the speed limit.
Excited by the bliss of your new car,
Illuminated by the stars of the night sky
All that matters is you and your new ride.
Speeding through the air as you hold your breath…
Ready for nitrous…
One minute you here, the next you there
Shocked by the suddenness of movement you amazed,
Nothing else matters in that moment ‘cause you free
And then suddenly you awake and it was all just a dream
But you know when you get that car,
You’ll forever ride, till the day you die…

© Charné Williams

***
GRADE 9
***

If I Should Die ~ Charné Williams

If I Should Die, Think Only This Of Me
Two Poems


The days I smiled, cried, fought
Putting my heart on the line, left feeling distraught.
Captured by love, unfailing hope.
If I should die think only this of me
Like a flower I grew, speaking my mind through and through
Not giving up on my beliefs and always staying true
Remember me as I illuminated dark rooms
Which spread the fear of dark, evil fumes
Somewhere between the heart-break and the tears
I managed to fight against my fears.
I lived every day as it was my last
Enjoying every moment, living fast
My love for singing, my passion that went with it
If I should die think only this of me
the mark I made be it small or big
the mark on your heart and on your life
Striving each and every day to make you smile
Just remember the life I lead.
When I’m in my worst moment or my best
As I’m laid to rest, I shall rest with you in my heart,
as it was from the start



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



If I should die, think only this of me.
My laughter when you cry,
My smile when you're sad.
Holding you tight in your sleepless nights.

On rainy days when the sky is grey
And there seems to be no way
I was there to guide you through

Although I might not be seen,
Know presence is real.

Think of me and my happiness.
My happiness to my last breath

Don’t cry or shed a tear
Because deep down,
You know I’ll always be near



© Charné Williams

***
GRADE 9
***

You Told Me ~ Asanda Makhubo

You told me that you loved me
You told me you care for me
My heart believed it and made a place for those words
You told me all else doesn’t matter
Because you’re here for me
You told me you rather want us to die together
We were both inseparable
Why do you choose to do this?
Why do you pour a big bucket of guilt over my head?
‘I love you, I really do’ you said but now it is just ‘it’s your fault’
‘I hate you I wish I’d never met you’
Your words shot me down
It feels my world is over…
‘Don’t leave me!’  My heart screamed
I love you…

© Asanda Makhubo

***
GRADE 8
***

My Final Goodbye, Friend ~ Asanda Makhubo

(Dedicated to my late best friend Ziyanda Hlela)


No one understands the way I feel
Why the good die so young,
My world feels constantly hazy though,
I do not show it
My world is like a muddy puddle
When I think about you,
When I cry I tell myself “stop crying you don’t cry”
Then I remember why I feel a torturing pain in me
She is already dead get over it I hear,
It’s really not that easy
No matter how hard I try I’ll never get you back
I lie when I say I’m okay to go to school and face all of those faces
My head feels cloudy,
As I stand in front of the school frozen in my steps
The breeze flicks my hair back and forth
The day feels colder than usual
Colder than winter,
Because she is not here to warm me up with her presence
Silently screaming in my head as the world continues swirling around me
My best friend
She is gone but I’m okay
I can now feel her presence around me
I cry because I never said goodbye
She was my guardian angel, a sister
I can now say she passed on without bursting into tears,
“Heart problems” I will always whimper
It’s in God’s hands now
And I will never doubt his decision
Because she is still here watching over me
This is my final goodbye,
Ziyanda I will never forget you
Rest in peace and yes I will always love, you…

© Asanda Makhubo

***
GRADE 8
***

Thinking of You ~ Asanda Makhubo

Thinking of you?
Why do I hesitate because I know what I saw?
It broke me, it hurt me
I couldn’t believe it
Me broken I never break
I’m not that type
But this situation is too much to handle
Suicide, destroyed, defeated...
Those words crossed my mind so many times
It is affecting me in ways that I don’t understand
Or maybe I choose not to…
But still the pain, the cuts I gave myself
‘Suicide’ … I don’t know why it’s crossing my mind so much
‘I love you’… you always useto say
Then you broke me… I don’t think I’ll ever get you back again…



© Asanda Makhubo


***
GRADE 8
***

Saturday 25 April 2015

This poem is a breeze, the snow and death ~ Nsiki Gwala

This poem is a cool breeze.
This poem is the freezing snow.
This poem is peaceful death.
This poem is a deep breath of life-
A cool touch that stirs one's senses.
It's a minute wave treading on the dry earth,
That whispers tales of unknown worlds
Where is had danced on calm waters.
This poem is the cool breeze.
This poem is a vast coat of ice,
That ensnares life in crystal flakes.
Memories lost in mortality
Lie buried beneath its ominous beauty.
Like fallen stars illuminating the earth,
This poem is the freezing snow.
This poem is a man lurking in the shadows-
A memory devouring one's courage,
Like a nightmare dwelling in an innocent mind.
It's a lonely journey to an unknown truth,
In which souls fearfully embark.
This poem is peaceful death.
This poem is the cool, tingling breeze.
This poem is the white, freezing snow.
This poem is the inevitable and peaceful death.


© Nsiki Gwala

***
GRADE 10
***

Eternal Happiness ~ Nsiki Gwala

Happiness is the most fulfilling thing.
It's the touch of life which resurrects deceased spirits,
Like the cerulean sky, which gives freedom
to those who soar in it.
I'm reminded of hours spent near serene blue oceans,
Where my spirit was at peace-
Free from all burden, which had trapped my soul
In a ciphered cage of everlasting misery.
As Autumn creeps into our lives,
A feeling of emptiness lingers in the cold air,
(Mocking warm memories of happiness)
Because Autumn is a broken record stuck on a melancholy melody
Which serenades the dying nature into the next life.
I see dark clouds hanging over the Drakensberg,
As though mourning the death such beauty;
And I wish for the feeling of eternal happiness
To cleanse my troubled soul.

© Nsiki Gwala

***
GRADE 10
***

Winter ~ Nsiki Gwala

Time
floats by
like a breeze
swimming through
the cold
air:
trees
stand bare
and frozen,
as though trapped in
a lifeless
portrait,
like
tragic
memories
dwelling
in
fearful
minds.


© Nsiki Gwala

***
GRADE 10

***

The Beauty of Night - Nsiki Gwala

Night is the most mystical thing,
That bears murderers and helpless victims,
Like monstrous waves from the deep blue.
Oh how beautiful was the night's kindred
which shone and illuminated the heavens!
Though Autumn is a plague that defiles nature's beauty,
Only the night's beauty is immune to such a woeful death.
Night brings isolation and despair
That crushes fragile hearts.
It is the unknown that unhinges innocent minds-
Not a melody nor whisper can break through its ciphered silence.
But as the sun rises from the lonely hills,
Its striking presence mocks the night's mystical beauty,
As its rays tear through the night's mortal figure.
I see fallen leaves and desolated, cerulean skies-
An affirmation of Bergville's death by Autumn's plague-
And I wish for the return of the mystical night:
A blanket to conceal this grotesque death.

© Nsiki Gwala

***
GRADE 10
***

Ruby ~ Vuyani Ntshingila

Ruby



Ruby,
Glowing in bright red,
You are beautifully red,
I love you,
I wish that you were next to me,
You shine bright amongst all gems,
Ruby

© Vuyani Ntshingila

***
GRADE 9
***

Fool For Love ~ Vuyani Ntshingila



People say you played me for a fool,
I was to blind to see,
I was blinded by love so you made me a fool,
I heard rumours about you,
I was to deaf to hear,
I loved you but became your fool


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



Some say I was stupid,
Others say I got caught up in the moment,
Some say I tripped,
Some say you took me for a trip,

I loved you too deeply to realise
What you were,
You were a liar and a cheat,
A snake under a beautiful skin,

I woke up on the floor and realised I fell for you




© Vuyani Ntshingila


***
Grade 9
*** 

A Guided Poem by Shivek Goodoon

Love is the most interesting thing
It causes pain and happiness
Like seeing the great big blue ocean
That washed away the writing in the sand
But the summer is a heater to my frozen heart
Mocking me
In its ciphered melody
Sadness is losing everything
Gaining nothing
I wish to find my way in love's maze


© Shivek Goodoon


***
GRADE 10
***

Tuesday 21 April 2015

Two Poems by Zinhle

Lord, It's Fine

Lord, it's fine if they don't
see eye to eye with me.
Lord, it's fine if they can
do a way better job than I can.
Lord, it's fine if they undermine
my authorities.
Lord, it's fine if they tease me
about how I look.
Lord, it's fine!
Well, then I remember that You too
were hated by many
yet loved by few.
So it's fine!
Lord, I've learnt that you
give me more power than any
powerade drink.
You give me more knowledge
than any professor
and so the heart seeks
more attention
than what the mind thinks.
So it's fine!
Lord, You are my Redeemer
Lord, You are my Hope
Lord, You are my Faith
Lord, You are my Wisdom
Lord, You are my Shield
Lord, You are my Eternal Life
Therefore, it's fine!


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

The Day You Cut My Hair

Oh my! How I hated that day
I felt so uneven
I felt so unwanted
I felt so unhelpful
My dearest teacher, Why me?
As I entered the door
you grabbed my hand
you took a pair of scissors
The whole class froze in anticipation
and all the way through my hair you went
Oh my! How I hated that day
'My pretty long hair,' I cried
'Why, why, why, why?' I asked
You never replied
and so I cried my eyes out
in hopes that the whole school
would hear me
Yet you gave me a grin and said,
'Please, Zinhle, just stop it!'
Oh my! How I hated that day!

Zinhle Ndlovu

***
GRADE 8
***









Friday 17 April 2015

Cameo Poems ~ Grade 9

FRIENDSHIP

Best friends.
A straight line that will
not bend, trusting now and forever.
Your hero
always by your side where they will
stay, to laugh, cry and help me
and you.

Aviksha Sewsanker

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

DARKNESS

The dark
Monsters creeping back
Ghosts brought back to life.
Fear evolves
Illumination of light fights back.
Now peaceful, ghosts disappear.
The light.

Charne Williams

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

MY HEART

My heart
brewing with passion
aching to be set free. I feel
the passion
I wish I could express myself
showing my gracefulness, oh
my heart.

A MOTHER'S LOVE

Warming,
understanding, it
is filled with beauty and passion
content and
always caring for my safety
like a rose among the thorns
patient.

Theo Govender

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

LION

Fearless
loyal and graceful
majestic mane and fearful eyes,
walking proud
enormous paws and sharp, shiny teeth
determined on killing prey:
mighty.

Kristen Radford

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

FOREVER

Love all,
Don't hate the one that
made you angry, sad or depressed,
be grateful
for the people you have because
their last breath could be right now
Forever.

Kelda Maitland

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

IGNITED

Feelings
Overpower me
As thoughts of you burn freely
Within me
I am warmed by your lovely smile
Fires stroked by your sultry looks
Heated.


GONE

Missing
every part of me
that does keep my spirits high
so that I
cannot write, as if ink ran out
leaving my quill and mind dry
thoughtless.


THE VISIT

Sit here
Let's talk for a while.
My, I've missed you. How've you been?
Want some tea?
I wanted to tell you something:
You mean the absolute world
to me.

Sithoko Dube



Two Poems ~ Khethiwe Mlambo

What If

What if your pillow can
collect your dreams and you
can just plug them in and watch?

What if a girl's favourite song
can tell you more about her
than her lips can?

What if the puzzles in
our lives can bring peace?
What if we can piece it
up with the peace and love
and make it the old days?


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

Untitled

Out of a land laid waste
to a land untamed,
monster-ridden
to a land built
a ruined rag-tag band -
in his arms tenderly
he carried bravery
the first rule of being king!


Khethiwe Mlambo

***
GRADE 8
***

Two Poems ~ Nomonde Ngcamu

How Happy the Lover

How happy the lover
   How easy his chain
How pleasing his pain!
   He sighs not in vain
For love every creature
   Is formed by his nature;
No joy is above
   The pleasures of love.


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

The Power of the Creator

The creator is powerful. I thank the creator.
I live my life - I can walk, I can feed myself.
I thank Him whom I can trust.

I know my life. I've seen myself in the darkness
but have found myself in the light.
I've made mistakes that I can learn.

When I cry, I hear the birds consoling me.
I thank the one above.


Nomonde Ngamu

***
GRADE 8
***


Wednesday 1 April 2015

April is ...

National Poetry Writing Month!

2015 National Poetry Month poster
Designed by Roz Chast,
Featuring a line quoted from Mark Strand's "Eating Poetry"

The challenge is simple: write 30 poems in 30 days in the month of April (or 15 poems or 10 or even one).

This is a personal challenge but you will be joining countless poets around the world in celebrating the art of poetry writing. Please visit the official site of NaPoWriMo which will provide prompts and an opportunity to link up your poems.