You were my final draft.
The one I wanted to keep
and show people that I could do something
with this life of mine.
So I gave my life to you,
handed in my final to be marked
and to be told whether I passed or failed,
got you or lost you.
You were all I had to show my life's meaning.
You were my final draft.
But I was only a rough copy to you.
To he thrown in the trash when you were done,
and you could find your final.
To me you were as beautiful as the falling snow
But one day you said "Okay I'm done now,
you may go."
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Friday, 2 December 2016
My Boat ~ Uwais Coetzee
Life is an ocean,
a relentless sea.
All people are in it,
including you and me.
Some people will float.
Some will sink.
To survive in the sea of life,
You will have to think.
Survive and be smart,
go with the flow.
Follow life's waves
and as people we'll grow.
Our past is our boat,
It determines where we go.
Our mistakes are the sails.
Will you go fast or go slow ?
We float through life
On the boats of our past
Not knowing where to go
How long will we last ?
Be in control of your life ,
Make sure to be fast.
If life is a boat, be the captain
Standing at the main mast.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
a relentless sea.
All people are in it,
including you and me.
Some people will float.
Some will sink.
To survive in the sea of life,
You will have to think.
Survive and be smart,
go with the flow.
Follow life's waves
and as people we'll grow.
Our past is our boat,
It determines where we go.
Our mistakes are the sails.
Will you go fast or go slow ?
We float through life
On the boats of our past
Not knowing where to go
How long will we last ?
Be in control of your life ,
Make sure to be fast.
If life is a boat, be the captain
Standing at the main mast.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Conversations Alone ~ Uwais Coetzee
Screaming and yelling,
All we did was fight,
No truth telling.
You threatened to leave tonight.
I convinced you to stay
to stay with me,
I couldn't lose you today,
I'm weak, you see.
I can't handle your loss
I need to persist
because me without you is like a pond without moss,
They don't exist.
Whenever we fight,
It's always because of me,
I don't treat you right
and that's wrong , you see.
I claim to have might,
but really I'm weak,
You're leaving tonight
and that thought has me bleak.
I didn't treat you right.
You left to find your rightful throne.
Now I'm standing here talking.
Conversations Alone.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
All we did was fight,
No truth telling.
You threatened to leave tonight.
I convinced you to stay
to stay with me,
I couldn't lose you today,
I'm weak, you see.
I can't handle your loss
I need to persist
because me without you is like a pond without moss,
They don't exist.
Whenever we fight,
It's always because of me,
I don't treat you right
and that's wrong , you see.
I claim to have might,
but really I'm weak,
You're leaving tonight
and that thought has me bleak.
I didn't treat you right.
You left to find your rightful throne.
Now I'm standing here talking.
Conversations Alone.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Not Yet ~ Uwais Coetzee
I heard about the accident
before I went to bed,
about how the car looked
as it was dripping red.
It was a ten car pileup
on highway 93,
and from all those people
the one who pulled her out was me.
Out of all the bones in her body
she'd broken 45.
The doctor came out looking grim and said
"By tomorrow she won't be alive."
I couldn't believe what I heard
or what the doctor had said
I needed to be with her and
sit next to her bed.
I sat by her bed
and watched her sleep
and by 7 a.m.
I heard the long beep.
We prepared the funeral
to lay her down to rest.
I thought about my life
and how it was a mess.
It was a funeral
that nobody wanted to miss.
We stood up one by one,
to each give a kiss.
I stood up and
kissed her forehead.
But as I leaned in she whispered
"Save me, I'm not dead."
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
before I went to bed,
about how the car looked
as it was dripping red.
It was a ten car pileup
on highway 93,
and from all those people
the one who pulled her out was me.
Out of all the bones in her body
she'd broken 45.
The doctor came out looking grim and said
"By tomorrow she won't be alive."
I couldn't believe what I heard
or what the doctor had said
I needed to be with her and
sit next to her bed.
I sat by her bed
and watched her sleep
and by 7 a.m.
I heard the long beep.
We prepared the funeral
to lay her down to rest.
I thought about my life
and how it was a mess.
It was a funeral
that nobody wanted to miss.
We stood up one by one,
to each give a kiss.
I stood up and
kissed her forehead.
But as I leaned in she whispered
"Save me, I'm not dead."
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Music of Life ~ Uwais Coetzee
If our lives were a record,
How would yours sound ?
Would I listen to it and get bored ?
Or be surprised by what I found ?
Would you enjoy your song ?
Played on the record player of life,
Repeatedly played on and on
Replaying every strife.
Would you be shocked
by what you tried to hide ?
That the door was locked
when you tried to sneak back inside.
That you found that girl to be pretty,
but the conversation was a bore
and when she hugged you goodbye you thought she was 'silly'
Because you wanted 'more'.
Had you the option to play your life out loud
on a record player today
in front of people in a crowd ,
would that be okay ?
Be happy about what you've accomplished
yesterday or today.
Be proud of your life and make it something
that you'd be proud to play.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Love ~ Uwais Coetzee
The love inside is hard to describe.
It's difficult to wrap around my mind.
In my mind you wouldn't understand,
But in my heart love you would find.
Love for life and love for death,
Love for the sweetness of your breath.
Love for the song that the blackbird cries
and love for the ocean inside your eyes.
Love for the sky that is so wide,
love for love itself is hard to hide.
Love for our future in anticipation,
love in the present in expectation,
that love will be here
and we don't need to fear,
For in our future, present and past
My love for you has always been vast.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
It's difficult to wrap around my mind.
In my mind you wouldn't understand,
But in my heart love you would find.
Love for life and love for death,
Love for the sweetness of your breath.
Love for the song that the blackbird cries
and love for the ocean inside your eyes.
Love for the sky that is so wide,
love for love itself is hard to hide.
Love for our future in anticipation,
love in the present in expectation,
that love will be here
and we don't need to fear,
For in our future, present and past
My love for you has always been vast.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Unknowns ~ Uwais Coetzee
In the crowd of a thousand people
I saw you.
Our eyes met and then and there
I knew my love was true.
My gaze never dropped
from that deep ocean blue,
and that's when I knew,
I had to know you.
I walked right up
and started a conversation
in my body before
had I never felt this sensation.
We started to know each other,
our relationship had grown,
I spoke to you because I noticed you
In a sea of floating unknowns.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
A Graveyard ~ Nsiki Gwala
A Graveyard
The dead lie still in
the cold dark earth.
A massive stone marks the dead-
the ghastly, rotting cadavers.
In time, the land is slowly
decorated with similar stones,
while mistletoe grows upon the
ancient oak trees.
There is no life,
no happiness and joy;
only the sorrow, pain and grief
sung by the ominous
dark crow.
© Nsiki Gwala
***
Grade 11
***
The dead lie still in
the cold dark earth.
A massive stone marks the dead-
the ghastly, rotting cadavers.
In time, the land is slowly
decorated with similar stones,
while mistletoe grows upon the
ancient oak trees.
There is no life,
no happiness and joy;
only the sorrow, pain and grief
sung by the ominous
dark crow.
© Nsiki Gwala
***
Grade 11
***
In the Heart of Darkness ~ Nsiki Gwala
As children, our lives were filled with
magic, hope and peace.
In time, we lost our innocence;
we lost our faith and the magic disappeared.
Pessimism took over -
unknowingly, we penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.
The world's a sea of evil, or is it
our evil that's polluted the world?
Experience stole our innocence:
we saw the evil of crime;
we saw the dead or dying;
we saw the crux of hardship and deprivation.
But, that was fine, because we
held on to our dreams and faith
in something... anything better.
However, the darkness penetrated into
the roots of our lives.
Obstacles stood like barriers around every corner.
The way forward became unclear.
Our greatest dreams became
our darkest nightmares.
The pain and agony of despair
resonated through our eyes
from the depths of our souls
and God forgot we existed.
Unknowingly, we searched for some last,
dying, shred of hope in the silent void.
The pain became too much, so we forged
the happiness from the evils of the world:
we bathed it in gin and strong liquor;
we smoked and doped up in anything;
and we danced like the day was our last,
while trying to drown the sorrow and bury the pain.
We didn't know we were digging a dark hole
from which we could never escape.
We found ourselves quarrelling and killing
for the rush, or the money.
There was no wrong or right.
Innocent blood seeped through the face of the earth
and our bloodstained hands
made a mark on the earth.
The shadows of the night became
our greatest acquaintances and
we could not see the stars.
Now here we are, standing on the grounds of hell.
There's no hope and no help for us here.
We walk across the face of the earth
alive, but barely Living.
All dreams died a lifetime ago.
There is no future and no light.
There are no more tears.
So we'll just stand here in despair,
deep in the heart of darkness.
We'll stand all alone and
reach out for the hand of death.
magic, hope and peace.
In time, we lost our innocence;
we lost our faith and the magic disappeared.
Pessimism took over -
unknowingly, we penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.
The world's a sea of evil, or is it
our evil that's polluted the world?
Experience stole our innocence:
we saw the evil of crime;
we saw the dead or dying;
we saw the crux of hardship and deprivation.
But, that was fine, because we
held on to our dreams and faith
in something... anything better.
However, the darkness penetrated into
the roots of our lives.
Obstacles stood like barriers around every corner.
The way forward became unclear.
Our greatest dreams became
our darkest nightmares.
The pain and agony of despair
resonated through our eyes
from the depths of our souls
and God forgot we existed.
Unknowingly, we searched for some last,
dying, shred of hope in the silent void.
The pain became too much, so we forged
the happiness from the evils of the world:
we bathed it in gin and strong liquor;
we smoked and doped up in anything;
and we danced like the day was our last,
while trying to drown the sorrow and bury the pain.
We didn't know we were digging a dark hole
from which we could never escape.
We found ourselves quarrelling and killing
for the rush, or the money.
There was no wrong or right.
Innocent blood seeped through the face of the earth
and our bloodstained hands
made a mark on the earth.
The shadows of the night became
our greatest acquaintances and
we could not see the stars.
Now here we are, standing on the grounds of hell.
There's no hope and no help for us here.
We walk across the face of the earth
alive, but barely Living.
All dreams died a lifetime ago.
There is no future and no light.
There are no more tears.
So we'll just stand here in despair,
deep in the heart of darkness.
We'll stand all alone and
reach out for the hand of death.
© Nsiki Gwala
***
Grade 11
***
Friday, 28 October 2016
Sonnet 1, "Everything" ~ Uwais Coetzee
Everything of mine belongs to you.
My soul and mind are in your possession
More than once have I made this confession
My love is more vast than the sky is blue
You stuck my heart back together, like glue
These words I wrote down are filled with regret,
Because these words and your ears have not met
My courage is gone when I meet with you.
If only love, with your eyes you could see
If love were visible, you'd be bare
I know how you feel, you do not love me
Although you know I love you , you don't care.
You, alone are everything to me ,
But you found your everything elsewhere.
***
Grade 10
***
To Be ~ Uwais Coetzee
You and I were meant to be ,
'To love and to hold'
'Till death do us part' I always used to think.
I loved you with every bone in my body
Every organ , every limb
But every time I looked at you ,
You looked at him.
Everything broke within me,
Shattered like glass
I thought 'How could you do this?'
'Do this to me?'
I thought all rivers made it back to the sea.
I was lost, I was gone,
I didn't know what to do.
Didn't know if I wanted to see next week
Or even tomorrow.
People say follow your heart
But if it's broken , which piece do you follow ?
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
'To love and to hold'
'Till death do us part' I always used to think.
I loved you with every bone in my body
Every organ , every limb
But every time I looked at you ,
You looked at him.
Everything broke within me,
Shattered like glass
I thought 'How could you do this?'
'Do this to me?'
I thought all rivers made it back to the sea.
I was lost, I was gone,
I didn't know what to do.
Didn't know if I wanted to see next week
Or even tomorrow.
People say follow your heart
But if it's broken , which piece do you follow ?
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Dead ~ Uwais Coetzee
I let my feelings out
Let out all things from inside
Told you everything
My feelings no longer wanted to hide,
Although you could not listen
I still continued to speak
Spilled out everything
Like the dam wall of my heart had a leak.
Right next to you I did kneel
With tears flowing from my eyes
But now it was the time
To say our final goodbyes.
The wood began to creak
As they carried you away
The saddest day of my life
Was your funeral day.
They tapped me on the shoulder
And said "It's time to go",
I looked at them with eyes all red
And said with pain "I know".
The coffin began to lower
As they lay you down to rest
And in every single one of the speeches
They said you were one of the best.
I thought about the tears that flowed
I couldn't keep that thought at bay.
The saddest day of my life
Was your funeral day.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Let out all things from inside
Told you everything
My feelings no longer wanted to hide,
Although you could not listen
I still continued to speak
Spilled out everything
Like the dam wall of my heart had a leak.
Right next to you I did kneel
With tears flowing from my eyes
But now it was the time
To say our final goodbyes.
The wood began to creak
As they carried you away
The saddest day of my life
Was your funeral day.
They tapped me on the shoulder
And said "It's time to go",
I looked at them with eyes all red
And said with pain "I know".
The coffin began to lower
As they lay you down to rest
And in every single one of the speeches
They said you were one of the best.
I thought about the tears that flowed
I couldn't keep that thought at bay.
The saddest day of my life
Was your funeral day.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Wednesday, 5 October 2016
I Am Me ~ Uwais Coetzee
I am who I am
My thoughts flow like the River Nile
Through the vast maze of my mind
The magical abyss that I is my soul
As deep as the oceans that gill up our world
Are my thoughts,
My feelings,
My innermost feelings,
Writing the eternal test of life
Without knowing what to study
Each day is a challenge,
A new puzzle,
In this eternal labyrinth
Not knowing the end from the start,
Left from right
Life has made me who I am
The challenges have shaped me,
Moulded me into myself
Each day brought a key to be opened
Without giving me the key,
They made me who I am,
I am me.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
My thoughts flow like the River Nile
Through the vast maze of my mind
The magical abyss that I is my soul
As deep as the oceans that gill up our world
Are my thoughts,
My feelings,
My innermost feelings,
Writing the eternal test of life
Without knowing what to study
Each day is a challenge,
A new puzzle,
In this eternal labyrinth
Not knowing the end from the start,
Left from right
Life has made me who I am
The challenges have shaped me,
Moulded me into myself
Each day brought a key to be opened
Without giving me the key,
They made me who I am,
I am me.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Silence ~ Uwais Coetzee
She told me a story
Without saying a word,
Without uttering a sound,
The room was silent.
No mouth was open,
All words were left unspoken
And yet a story was told
In the blink of an eye,
The tick of a clock
A story as long as any other
She said how she grew up
Without her mother
How she went to school
Without having slept a wink
Because her life at home
Was pushing her to the brink
Over the edge she wanted to slip
To slip into nothingness,
But she didn't give up,
For the sake of her life
She pushed on, persevered
In her never-ending strife.
She said all this without saying a word.
All this was said with silence all around.
This was said when she walked down the aisle,
Walking to me.
With her eyes alone she told me the story
About her past and how now the caged bird is free
And we should all know how powerful the silence can be.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Without saying a word,
Without uttering a sound,
The room was silent.
No mouth was open,
All words were left unspoken
And yet a story was told
In the blink of an eye,
The tick of a clock
A story as long as any other
She said how she grew up
Without her mother
How she went to school
Without having slept a wink
Because her life at home
Was pushing her to the brink
Over the edge she wanted to slip
To slip into nothingness,
But she didn't give up,
For the sake of her life
She pushed on, persevered
In her never-ending strife.
She said all this without saying a word.
All this was said with silence all around.
This was said when she walked down the aisle,
Walking to me.
With her eyes alone she told me the story
About her past and how now the caged bird is free
And we should all know how powerful the silence can be.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
The Beginning of the End ~ Uwais Coetzee
The varnished wood gleamed
As if to mock me it seemed
The end was here but I was not crying
No tears flowed from my closed eyes,
But I could see everything
The clothes, the people,
Their faces,
Their tears.
Flowing for me.
The casket lay open so they could see
And people saying, with tears in their eyes
"He's going to a better place"
"He's free"
From this hell on Earth
It didn't even matter that I had finished school,
Or got the highest degree
Today is the beginning of the end,
It's the end for me.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
As if to mock me it seemed
The end was here but I was not crying
No tears flowed from my closed eyes,
But I could see everything
The clothes, the people,
Their faces,
Their tears.
Flowing for me.
The casket lay open so they could see
And people saying, with tears in their eyes
"He's going to a better place"
"He's free"
From this hell on Earth
It didn't even matter that I had finished school,
Or got the highest degree
Today is the beginning of the end,
It's the end for me.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Immune ~ Uwais Coetzee
Love, hate,
Fear and pain
All emotion is, is a burden
on people who just want to live their lives
Without the struggles of the common man.
Be yourself, nobody else
Be a you fan
They destroy your heart
Like the lands and erosion
Be like ice, be cold,
Be immune to emotion.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Fear and pain
All emotion is, is a burden
on people who just want to live their lives
Without the struggles of the common man.
Be yourself, nobody else
Be a you fan
They destroy your heart
Like the lands and erosion
Be like ice, be cold,
Be immune to emotion.
© Uwais Coetzee
***
Grade 10
***
Reaching for the Concrete Moon ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan
She descended to her knees
in aspiration,
to bury her feelings
that turned futile
and started bleeding with suppressed emotions.
Immense teardrops leaked from her eyes;
the cumbersome rainclouds in her mind
destructively gyrated in their turbulent nature.
She cried a river,
with livid, tattered currents
silently flowing down her face
onto the isolated soil.
She wanted not to be the last leaf
on a tree before winter began.
© Nishka Ramkhelawan
***
Grade 12
***
in aspiration,
to bury her feelings
that turned futile
and started bleeding with suppressed emotions.
Immense teardrops leaked from her eyes;
the cumbersome rainclouds in her mind
destructively gyrated in their turbulent nature.
She cried a river,
with livid, tattered currents
silently flowing down her face
onto the isolated soil.
She wanted not to be the last leaf
on a tree before winter began.
© Nishka Ramkhelawan
***
Grade 12
***
Saturday, 17 September 2016
First Place ~ Senior Section
To Live and Die This Way
Change is supposed to be enlivening, unfortunately for our species
The change is what is killing us.
To the people in suits, white coats, overalls, uniforms and costumes-
This is our mud ball two spaces away from the life-giving sun.
Just be still and listen - Don’t move, don’t run.
The ocean breeze blows swiftly across but brings with it aviation fuel.
The sharks, whales and manatees all drown.
Huge Gorgonian fans in the oceans - Leaves made of thousand tiny bones,
Will grow with the multitudes of millions of creature-skeletons in the sea.
Don’t go anywhere, don’t turn your back.
This concerns them, you, him and me.
In all your might you stand before me.
I see the violence slide into your eyes
Like dense smoke behind cracking walls of glass.
It is your nature to inflict pain- To kill, murder, kidnap, bomb and destroy.
To even fight and kill your own brothers…And that is when buildings crumble.
Cars and busses eventually
Flicker Like Toys In Oblivion.
I see people with no spirit or life, and I feel a sun without any warmth.
You lose all you have been nurtured with-
Prayer, devotion, love, faith and care.
There is a never-ending war Of Nature versus Nurture.
Chaos and destruction mark this earth.
Turn back all the atomic clocks; Undo the devastating damage;
Help treat every painful wound.
Don’t be ignorant and don’t pretend-
Be the warriors and fight to the end.
The damage has solidified like diamond.
Goodbye rhinoceros, monarch butterfly and mermaid blue sparkling ocean.
You will have to bear being forced to set
Havoc-causing, misery-leading and Fire- exploding plans into motion.
Pictures and memories of the transcend
And tranquil past will remain forever.
But in the way forward,
The past will be nothing more than a foreign country to us…
Pryaska Goorhoo
Grade 12 ERV
First Place ~ Junior Section
A MOTHER’S GOODBYE
They have returned, those vicious beasts,
Burning , breaking, plundering, pillaging-
Pure evil, they feast.
My baby boy, snatched from my hand
My warmth, my love
Replaced with cold, hard steel.
A rifle! NO ! I kneel, I beg, I pray…I stand.
Beaten, broken, battered; anger burns in me
But still my eyes plea!
Leave my baby boy, he’s only three
LEAVE HIM BE !!!
Blood curdling screams
Tears down my face stream
My baby boy I see
MAMA! Mama! PLEASE help me!
Agonising pain, as I fall
Blood oozing, I hear a victory call
My baby boy, a decade gone
A man-child, a soldier of war, over me he stands tall.
Rifle placed upon my head
My baby boy, what life have you lead
Eyes cold, he stares at me – so old
Lost Soul !
Trigger squeezes bullets fly
My son…It is I…your mama…
Goodbye
Keara Singh
Grade 8EMM
Second Place ~ Senior Section
Cosmos Don't Lie
Looking at the open cosmofield from my back window
I believe that sometime in the future good things are going to happen
That someday, I will again acquire the strength and energy
To run across the open field, plucking flowers on my way
That not long from now, I will pull the petals of the cosmos one by one
revealing that open secret I had once been expecting.
They say cosmos don't lie...
He loves me.
But now as doubt fills my head in an avalanche
I try to maintain the same optimism
What seems right, surely must be the right thing
But that cannot always be the case because in school
I was taught that my subject must agree with my verb
Or else my sense is incorrect.
It feels like ages ago, as I no longer make any attempt to apply that principle,
Concord, not cosmos.
If in a sentence, a verb must agree with its subject,
Then in life, the future must correspond with the past.
I remember once when I looked at the open field from my back window
I remember running through the field while plucking cosmos
And pulling the petals off, one by one.
It feels like ages ago, a memory long dormant.
This is all in the past (the curtains of my back window now remain closed)
They say cosmos don't lie.
Correction.
I said cosmos don't lie...
He loves me not.
Andiswa Gwala
Grade 10EHN
Third Place ~ Senior Section
Ashes
My past is a forgotten country, one littered with shards of happy
Memories that cut you like a knife when you think of them. We were happy once,
All smiles and family picnic. Our country was beautiful, in all its sunny glory and undying
Laughter. We were a big tourist attraction, but slowly we started to fall apart.
Brick by brick we came undone.
On the outside we were beyond beautiful, but inside the government was falling apart.
You were blaming her, she was blaming you and I was blaming myself for forgiving him.
Maybe if I had been harsher the monsoon of pain would have stopped, but I was a child.
A child in the word and not in nature. I mean what child had to see all that?
No child should have to feel the deaths of their soul before they even knew they had one.
The government began to turn on each other – civil war.
He used guns, she used words and I used prayer – but they never seemed to work.
Do they ever work? I wonder if God could hear my voice, maybe He just didn’t care.
I saw her pain, asked her to forgive him, she did. Time and time again she did.
I was so selfish, I could see she was dying but I asked her to stay.
He said he loved her, I had never seen such pain in love.
Does it all have guns and pain or was it just ours?
Today we sit her, touring other people’s countries, too scarred to rebuild ours from the ashes.
That’s what happens to ashes, right?
We forget them just like we’ve forgotten our country.
Omhle Duma
Grade 12ELG
Second Place ~ Junior Section
Run
Cold wind in his ear
Racing heart in his chest
Broken bones in his legs
Still at lightning speed, he sprints
Almost collapsing, he smiles
Not a tear in sight
He hides his pain
As the neighbour waves
After years of running, his little body grows weary
A beast is upon him
He can't go on any more
Ready to surrender
At peace one last time
Before he gives in
He slowly opens his eyes
He is lying on his bed, panting heavily
"Another nightmare," he breathed
A predator he escaped by waking up
Unlike the one coming down the corridor
That stomps and stumbles and thunders
As Father now looms at the door
Alcohol staining his breath
He is clothed with spatters of the colour red
The colour his victimized wife bled
In despair, the boy sighed
Knowing he was next
Mika Datadin
Grade 9ENW
Third Place ~ Junior Section
THE PAST IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY
The past is a foreign country
With those memories at the back of my mind
In the dark collecting dust
Are the secrets I don’t want to unwind.
The memories and secrets that I hold
Some as precious as gold.
Some good, some bad,
Some I wish I never had.
The past is a foreign country
Filled with things that I have done.
I have moved on with my life,
A new chapter has begun.
The past is a story old and known to all,
Filled with triumphs and falls.
But the future is a story, new and not known.
It is a story that is yet to be told.
Juwairiyah Gaffer
Grade 8EM
Gold Awards
The Past is a Foreign Country
What life stole from me… left me vacant.
The past being my soul harvester,
that yielded everything.
My happiness was a candle
that filled the darkness
like a firefly in the midst of depressing night.
This candle shone bright but was put off
far too many times until it burnt out.
My experiences once defined me,
experiences that I crave to revisit.
Yet my Life now is like a metaphor,
expressing things in a concrete way.
I was once told to leave my past behind.
“The past will destroy you and your future.” They said
Yet my past was me.
But how wrong it is of me to try and resurrect my past?
How shameful is it that I still believe I can relive in my futile history?
For all that was once living is now dead.
Yet my ship still sails,
It plows through the seas of my existence
and refuses to sink.
And although my past
may be a foreign country
that cannot be revived.
Within me it is still
my oasis in the bone dry desert.
My fountain of vitality.
Nishka Ramkhelawan
Grade 12
* * *
The Place
We probably shouldn't have spoken
The first conversation was too fatally flawless to be real
How one voice echoed the miraculous sound of the other
like sound waves of a siren
Not knowing where mine started and where yours ended
The deep memories between us...
We remain in an unbroken connection
yet it seems we never connected to begin with
How one hand held another without physical contact
How palms edged away from each other
after expressing what seemed to be a scene of symmetrical compatibility...
But it all remains there now
it all remains in that deep,dark ravenous place lacking illumination and truth
He seemed to be a friend,one who got friendly beyond boundaries
"He's just a friend",were your words
How was I not to feel the heat when you and I started out exactly the same?
He probably wiped away all the tears and blood from your eyes
How did I not notice that he would finally have your heart?
With his dark shadow being followed by one of its own
I was blind to his true motives
I guess I'm to blame for not realising there's no smoke without a fire
but the fire in his eyes resembled a familiar place,familiar beyond my comprehension...
A place where memories lie,both soothing and sickening
A place of mastery in the torturing of my soul
A place of forgotten desires and moments long unwanted
and a cycle of nightmares coming to life
A place I have learnt to visit with the soul and mind but never with the heart
A place I would greatly loathe,yet somehow call home
Foreign in times of bliss yet near in times of sorrow
A place I would never freely venture unto
but forced as mere escape of my thoughts
The past is such a place and a foreign country is what I choose to call it...
Siyabonga Dlamini
Grade 12
* * *
The Past is a Foreign Country
The past is a foreign country,
with barren fields of sand, where
the steps of humanity once trod,
like the scorching desert that
drowns life in waves of heat.
The past is oblivion's subtle boast,
that whispers eroded memories
and secrets of the heart,
like an echo of a breeze on rolling hills.
It is an incoherent dream,
destined for non-existence,
creating derision... creating despair.
The past is a foreign country,
where time lies dormant - buried
on ancient lands dotted with the
tombs of the dead,
awaiting the gyre of "Karma"...
Awaiting resurrection.
Nsiki Gwala
Grade 11
* * *
The Past is a Foreign Country
There is a far away land ,
Further than comprehension,
In this strange place,
There is a young boy,
And he is saying what I once said,
Doing what I once did,
Follows where I now lead,
He's falling for the same girl I would die for,
He feels pride for things I now feel nothing but shame,
All he wants is to do is have fun,
In this case we are not the same,
For the thing I seek, the thing I crave,
Is to travel to this place,
The land of second chances,
So I can correct the mistakes he's making,
Do right where he's doing wrong,
Doesn't he know it's my life he's forsaking ?
But this boy I speak of,
In truth is actually me,
The only difference?
He's In the past as a foreign country.
Seth Lindsay
Grade 10
* * *
Predator
You never knew you were a survivor
But you knew, you were the beast
That only came out to feast
The beast that preys on the young and the weak.
It came to you at your worst
That drug addiction
If only it was fiction and hallucination
But the beast was real.
It manipulated your mind
You even tried to hide
You hated having a toxic mind
You needed an antidote of some kind.
You hurt everyone
Crack…beat…scratch
Leaving everyone stunned
Wondering when they would say their last goodbye.
You were an intruder trapped within
A shadow constantly avoided
You asked for help
But no ear would hear
You had angel wings to fly
But you would sit and cry
And constantly ask why?
They all hated you…
But it wasn’t the real you
Where had you gone?
Predator was your mind…
Hidden within prey your physical being…
Survival wins over predator and prey.
Charné Williams
Grade 10
* * *
My Past
The past is on my mind
with old thoughts and memories
overflowing into the next
making it as invalid as the last
For me this is not the place to be,
like a nightmare wanting to be forgotten
and never remembered.
These days are very vague
being shadowed by the fog of
what I wanted it to be.
I could never reflect on these weathered memories,
my mind refuses.
It is like looking into the pieces of a shattered mirror
all emulating the same twisted reality
Although I cannot avoid these terrible times
The past is not the template to my future
For I will define my path
And become the great I am destined to be.
Never having a proper home
Or normal family to love
Eating amongst dozens
Just like me.
I reach into an empty frame at night
Waiting for hand to reach back,
Waiting and wishing for them back
One could only imagine my past…
Neelan Gounden
Grade 10
* * *
The Past is a Foreign Country
When your mother gave birth to you and held
her infant child in her hands for the fist time,
As the nurse lay your tiny head in her hand,
She caresses your small skull,
as if to show that she is bestowing onto you,
All her knowledge, all her wisdom, all her love
and every ounce of the fire that burns within her.
As she dose so, she says to you-
“My child. I almost wish you were not born,
Your innocence is not ready for the cruelty of this world,
but for as long as I fight, my child your
Future will be as bright as the stars above.
You, my child are my star!”
At that moment, that split second,
You did not understand what she meant.
You are older now and do you understand,
Do you understand the struggle she went through,
the struggle they ALL went though.
The struggle THEY went through for YOU!
EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL!
Alexandria Nathi
Grade 8
* * *
Dare to Care?
The swirling tides ebb their way away from the turbulent shores
As I stand paralysed beside the dusty window in agony over my chores
Do these people have acknowledgement of the torture I face?
No, how could they with all that luxurious jewellery and lace!
As streams of tears ripple down my face,
They are able to perfect my insignificance with such immaculate elegance and grace
Is this brutal behavior my punishment for committing a heinous crime?
Well if that's the situation then surely death must consume any time.
Who am I but just feeble minded and inconsequential soul
Wondering aimlessly without an ambition, without a simple goal
My painful heart pleads constantly for love and comfort of some kind
Be it in thought, be it in touch or be it in mind
Could it be my destiny to endure this piercing pain?
For they show no passion nor sympathy - they don't even know my name.
The swirling tides ebb their way away from the turbulent shores
As I stand paralysed beside the dusty window in agony over my chores
The illuminating beauty of the mystical sunset captivates me
Painting a glorious picture, one I believed I would never see
As the magical melody of that enchanting ball travels through the air.
I view my prison - with hope that someone would dare to care.
Yasthi Singh
Grade 8
Silver Awards
The Last Breath
He takes his last breath of air
The air which the scent of her perfume
once contaminated...
It was such a sweet smell.
The smell of his desires
falling so effortlessly into place.
The smell of affection
tainted his nose for 6 months without fail...
Until the clouds arrived
and the rain washed away the fire
within their souls
Leaving nothing but the pungent smell
of charred heartbreak.
Its ironic: they once said that they would dance in the rain.
Now it's time for them to extinguish their emotions completely
For what once was
Will never again be.
So he takes his last breath of air
as his depersonalised spirit fades
soothingly out of his body...
and away from hers.
She was his oxygen
- never again will his lifeless corpse breathe.
Nash Aniruth
Grade 12
* * *
The Past is a Foreign Country
The past is a foreign country
in the cities of our hearts
but our foundations are built
and shaped
town upon ancient town
and is the past really lost?
or does it play on around
us in ways we cannot fathom
or hope to fully understand
does history whisper to us softly
in the chilling breeze
and the souls of thousands
delivered by death from the
hand of Cruelty
plead with us not to make
their same mistakes
Do the ancient, foreign worlds
lapped over by the
passing of time
hold the forgotten wisdom of
ancient mistakes
What could we learn from the land
of the chill in the breeze
Could we sail through oceans of pride
and ignorance to the shores of
the land where choices, mistakes
and courage are set in stone
so we could build new foundations
firmer, stronger.
Chéron L'Estrange
Grade 11
* * *
Predator vs Prey
Readily bounding forward
A life to look towards
Into a trap he was lured
Away he ran without a word
Otherwise he would be skewered
From all his flaws be cured
Stealthily he stalked
So slow he could have walked
Or even stopped and talked
Yet into two, his paths forked
Almost free was life, but he squawked
Of Time, he was unaware
Yet instinct told him to prepare
To pay with life was quite a fare
So heavy a burden he would have to bare
For Time was quite unfair
Stalking Life was a skill
Following quietly, waiting for the kill
Quite a gap he would have to fill
Conquering obstacles like a drill
The quest for hunger he would fulfill
Catching a scent of the pursuit of Time
Reality turned sour like lime
No number of live, even nine
Would ensure he would be fine
There was no time to whine
For Time would drink his blood like wine
At his prime, Life increased his pace
Too afraid of what he had to face
Begging Time to stay off his case
Yet for drastic end, he must brace
For Time, he was no match
His breath, soon, he would have to catch
Had he had the endurance
He would have beaten Time's experience
Banele Kubheka
Grade 10
* * *
The Past is a Foreign Country
Lost are the memories of my past
Lost in the cobwebs of my mind
The endless abyss of my heart
But not lost by chance
Left in the past
That foreign past of mine
Moulted out of my former self
To begin a new life
So I can leave behind my former worries
My former strifes
I am a new person
A new me
Adapted to life
So the future I can see
Start a new life and own it
Be the King, be the Chief
Because everyone deserves
To turn over a new leaf.
Uwais Coetzee
Grade 10
* * *
The System
Studying,
memorising,
attempting to understand
the knowledge prescribed
so you can be like everybody else.
The words of the page,
be it a microscope stage
or Hitler’s rage,
to digress is unethical,
to suppress is theoretical,
the highlighted is delighted
while discrimination is the imagination.
Saying “True education
is having ‘out the box thinking’”
is impetuous linking
between reality and desire
of the educational empire.
To implore the law
to let the mind explore
is subjective suicide.
Schools search for seamless,
clinically cut
and boundary bred
robotic thinking machines.
But not even the ocean
has been discovered to its
deepest depths
let alone wine which still art on the vine,
the locked potential,
a trapped voice in a
secluded crowd.
Caitlyn Reddy
Grade 10
* * *
Predator or Prey
Deep within the mighty savanna jungle,
lies the man ready for an ensemble.
For a delicate angel from heaven,
awaits her knight in shining amour.
To many people see it as childish,
but to him he sees something furnished.
What makes one feel this way,
can only be answered in a cold may.
At first it was all for a good time,
but now when I look at her I feel like a mime.
If only I could tell her how I felt,
the words would make her melt.
If only she knew what lay inside,
could be the safest place to hide.
To never fear of what comes next,
is going to be very complex.
If only she knew....Oh how much I love her!
Uvir Govender
Grade 8
Highly Recommended
* * *
The Past is a Foreign Country
A foreign country
We once lived in.
A country of sadness, oss and
Failure
A country of hate, crime and
War
But, as it passes with time
Its daily emigrants breed
Love, peace and happiness.
For this cataclysmic country that
Has shamed humanity,
Is the father of our peaceful future.
Sakhiso Mabizela
Grade 10
* * *
Untitled
I saw a mistress today as
Thy beauty, a Daisy amongst a field of lilies
In an attempt, I asked her name
And in that instant
I was mesmerized and hypnotized
Put in a fliverless trance
For her reply was like the sweet taste
Of the river Thames on my tongue
Monica...Monica Anele Flynn
Dead silence crept in like a thief in the night
As a man approached,
Bleached in the stain of the innocent
As he wore blue sergeant’s uniform.
He enquire what is happening
For you see, my friend
He was hers and she was his
Or so he thought...
Kimaal Ramdharie
Grade 10
* * *
Predator & Prey
In the high grass of the savannah
There I lay with my heart pounding
My enemy passes with not a clue of where I lay
I let out a sigh knowing I had a second chance.
I hear a roar and lift my head through the tall grass
for a peep, my biggest mistake,
and now the chase is on
then after a few agonising minutes
it was all over, the hunter claimed his prize
a lovely new lion fur coat.
I then pranced along keeping in mind
who the real predators are…
Ethan Johnston
* * *
THE LIFE OF PREY
Running always running
Forced to be quick and cunning
Stay on track keep up with the pack
Lions hot on my heels
Searching for their next meal
This is the life of prey
Live through it i may
For i must never be lead a stray
Running always running.
Jason Monhurel
Grade 9
* * *
The Past is a Foreign Country
Why talk about the past
if the future is here, my friend?
Why talk about a country
if you don't like it? It is two
different thing but have similar
meanings. Don't worry about
the past, worry about your future.
I ask you this question, my fellow friend,
Why talk about the past if the future is here?
Lindokuhle Mbatha
Grade 8
* * *
Predator
Sly Silent
Stalking Hunting Devouring
Ferocious Menacing Naive Innocent
Scattering Hiding Fleeing
Victim Sufferer
Prey
Aishwari Parthab
Grade 8
Monday, 1 August 2016
Do You Know? ~ Nash Aniruth
Do you know that he would cry for you?
Do you know that he would weep?
Perhaps you think that men don't cry.
Perhaps you're half asleep.
Do you know that he would die for you?
Wear his heart upon his sleeve.
Do you know he'd never lie to you?
Protect your heart from thieves.
And when your soul was sickly.
He'd never let you go.
The others left so quickly.
Trust him... he would know.
He'd never ever give you up.
You were the apple of his eye.
Perhaps he wasn't made for you.
The least he did was try.
So now you're out there in the dark.
He'd love to shed some light.
But you're the one who stays up partying.
Late into the night.
The music fills the air
The liquor kills his pain.
The mirage of light comes shimmering through
As the chemicals intoxicate his brain.
So now his mood is changing.
He goes out partying too.
He lies to other women and tells them...
That he never truly loved
You.
© Nash Aniruth
***
Grade 12
***
Do you know that he would weep?
Perhaps you think that men don't cry.
Perhaps you're half asleep.
Do you know that he would die for you?
Wear his heart upon his sleeve.
Do you know he'd never lie to you?
Protect your heart from thieves.
And when your soul was sickly.
He'd never let you go.
The others left so quickly.
Trust him... he would know.
He'd never ever give you up.
You were the apple of his eye.
Perhaps he wasn't made for you.
The least he did was try.
So now you're out there in the dark.
He'd love to shed some light.
But you're the one who stays up partying.
Late into the night.
The music fills the air
The liquor kills his pain.
The mirage of light comes shimmering through
As the chemicals intoxicate his brain.
So now his mood is changing.
He goes out partying too.
He lies to other women and tells them...
That he never truly loved
You.
© Nash Aniruth
***
Grade 12
***
What Does Life Mean To You? ~ Lindokuhle Mbatha
People always say you
Only live once but i
wonder if they use that
1 opportunity to make it
a life to remember and
for people to see you as
Their role model, life
is hard but it is awesome
Sometimes, if u know how
to live it, wat does your life
mean to you, do you know
what life means, i also don't know what it means but i sure
do live it in a very good way,
WHAT DOES LIFE REALLY MEAN TO YOU
© Lindokuhle Mbatha
***
Grade 8
***
Only live once but i
wonder if they use that
1 opportunity to make it
a life to remember and
for people to see you as
Their role model, life
is hard but it is awesome
Sometimes, if u know how
to live it, wat does your life
mean to you, do you know
what life means, i also don't know what it means but i sure
do live it in a very good way,
WHAT DOES LIFE REALLY MEAN TO YOU
© Lindokuhle Mbatha
***
Grade 8
***
Sunday, 3 July 2016
I Swear Drunk I'm Not Mom ~ Banele Kubheka
We were at the mall
When we got a call
It was Bae's birthday
Her heyday
So she sent us a Mayday
She was having a celebration
She had all our attention and concentration
Luckily it was Friday
Previous day was pay day
The perfect set up so they say
All I needed was composure
Prevent all this exposure
To this party we brought life
Refreshments and hype
Getting down like crazy
Nobody could phase me
We let bygones be bygones
Our differences were gone
Like stars we shone
Like I said before
This all happened until four
There is no need to be glum
I swear drunk I'm not mom.
© Banele Kubheka
***
Grade 10
***
When we got a call
It was Bae's birthday
Her heyday
So she sent us a Mayday
She was having a celebration
She had all our attention and concentration
Luckily it was Friday
Previous day was pay day
The perfect set up so they say
All I needed was composure
Prevent all this exposure
To this party we brought life
Refreshments and hype
Getting down like crazy
Nobody could phase me
We let bygones be bygones
Our differences were gone
Like stars we shone
Like I said before
This all happened until four
There is no need to be glum
I swear drunk I'm not mom.
© Banele Kubheka
***
Grade 10
***
Sunday, 19 June 2016
Home ~ Naadir Vorajee
This... Is not my home!
This is where the sugar does not taste sweet.
This is the place where the words have No meaning and the people have No faces!
The city has No religion. It's bright light shine through the humble man's hopes and lighten only his futile dreams...
This is not my home!
This is not where i live.
This place sells life with death as it's buyer...It's hustle and buzz rings only to the ears of wandering man searching for home-broken woman.
This place has No stars!
It's tar drives the cars to It's destination.
It's freedom is barred by sky-scrapers that not even the tallest man can escape!
This place is not my home...
The people are slaves to the "tick" of every "tock"
They are slaves to the "Yes" of every "No".
This place can't be my home...
Oh, take me back...
to the place where my feet Touch the soil,
where the sun shines to Me and Not the smoke in the sky.
Take me back to the place where my food has taste and the proud stars can guide me,
the place where my roots can grow and My meaning has life, where my fruits of labour bore from and my charity began...
Take me back to the place where i cried my first tear and breathed my first breath...
© Naadir Vorajee
***
Matriculant 2013
***
This is where the sugar does not taste sweet.
This is the place where the words have No meaning and the people have No faces!
The city has No religion. It's bright light shine through the humble man's hopes and lighten only his futile dreams...
This is not my home!
This is not where i live.
This place sells life with death as it's buyer...It's hustle and buzz rings only to the ears of wandering man searching for home-broken woman.
This place has No stars!
It's tar drives the cars to It's destination.
It's freedom is barred by sky-scrapers that not even the tallest man can escape!
This place is not my home...
The people are slaves to the "tick" of every "tock"
They are slaves to the "Yes" of every "No".
This place can't be my home...
Oh, take me back...
to the place where my feet Touch the soil,
where the sun shines to Me and Not the smoke in the sky.
Take me back to the place where my food has taste and the proud stars can guide me,
the place where my roots can grow and My meaning has life, where my fruits of labour bore from and my charity began...
Take me back to the place where i cried my first tear and breathed my first breath...
© Naadir Vorajee
***
Matriculant 2013
***
Saturday, 11 June 2016
Educational Terrorism ~ Omhle Duma
Next thing you know its 1985 again. Guns blazing in these city streets, these souls have caught fire.
This time it isn’t your mother, father and neither is it your sister running from the police.
This time it’s you. The yellow tanks are chasing you. Roaming the streets; crushing your dreams.
They are waiting for us to express our freedom of speech, just so they can put a bullet through you.
Say they had sufficient reason. Say that what you’re doing is an act of treason. Call you a terrorist.
We are not trying to overthrow the government! We are saying we are trying to get an education.
So she can take her siblings to school.
So he can buy his mother a house.
So they will be better.
But here we are, sitting at the table, unable to afford what is on the table already.
I am not mad that you have money, I’m livid at the fact that you think that we all come from deep pockets, where education isn’t a major concern.
These tuition fees you don’t think twice about are the same fees her mother is getting hospitalised for; the same ones she’s praying for a miracle for.
We aren’t terrorists. We aren’t the enemy.
We just want an education man. We just want to learn to better ourselves.
And I am not trying to blame the past on these problems, but damn, it’s got you all so selfish.
You forget really don’t you?
That not even 30 years ago you were in our shoes.
Fighting against oppressors, now we are fighting for an education.
How many people have to die?
We are a generation that will not be silenced. We are bombs.
Momma told me that I can be whatever I want to be.
Today I told her that I’m a bomb waiting to explode.
I am a rocket waiting to take off.
I told her that I am a lantern waiting to light up the world.
Here I am, a non-explosive bomb, a failed rocket ship, an unlit lantern; just because you won’t light my candle.
Don’t you know we shine brighter when we all have lanterns to carry?
When we all explode at once?
When we all reach for the stars?
© Omhle Duma
***
Grade 12
***
Contrast ~ Omhle Duma
I knew I was never your favourite student; knew at five years old that you would never treat me the same as the kids with the long hair and pearly white skin.
I knew.
I know I was never your first choice, always the last resort.
The ‘if I must’ option, the ‘just to add colour to this’ option; even though you liked your walls white you added some of my colour.
You never liked the big black spot in the middle of your clean white wall, never enjoyed much the sight of my small hand on your knee;
I knew.
But my Daddy taught me that, you Omhle, you are beauty in its finest form.
You are a tree that never withers, an earth shattering thunder, a crash of dangerous but oh so beautiful lightning.
He told me that I was skyscraper in a city where the only things the people are surrounded by are two storey buildings.
My daddy told me I was great, I unlike the rest, was born to shake the course of this world.
I was never meant to let the earth rotate peacefully on its axis, instead I challenged it to rotate forty degrees upside-down and see if it would look forty degrees my way to see the angle I looked most beautiful in.
But you, you wanted me to be quite, to stay in a box so that the only time you would take me out is when guests came over;
Hold me like some porcelain doll and say: “My, isn’t this piece of chunky brown child, this ebony skin, this curly hair and brown eyes- isn’t it so precious?”
And everybody would nod and play with my hair like I was some sort of consolation prize that had “Handle with care” written in the soles of my feet.
I was never taught to be careful.
Always taught extremity; always black, always white never here nor there.
But you, you white colour on the outside and red rage on the inside never was much attracted to us brown skin folk.
And the thing is, even if my hair had been straight you would still not have acknowledged me.
You would still speak at me and not to me, speak at a distance as if, if my words landed on you, you would be drenched in my mud.
Have you never been told that the earth is where it all began?
That brown is the colour of earth that rich soil is brown, the darker it is the more good things will come out of it?
I guess this is why you never really liked me; you never appreciated the beauty of my rich soil, left my good parts, my fertile parts always longing for a taste of your water.
I guess you loved to see me beg.
But now, now I realise I would have taken dirty brown water all over again because your clear water wasn’t all that anyway;
Instead the brown water had character, had identity, had personality and your clear water looked just like everyone else.
© Omhle Duma
***
Grade 12
***
I knew.
I know I was never your first choice, always the last resort.
The ‘if I must’ option, the ‘just to add colour to this’ option; even though you liked your walls white you added some of my colour.
You never liked the big black spot in the middle of your clean white wall, never enjoyed much the sight of my small hand on your knee;
I knew.
But my Daddy taught me that, you Omhle, you are beauty in its finest form.
You are a tree that never withers, an earth shattering thunder, a crash of dangerous but oh so beautiful lightning.
He told me that I was skyscraper in a city where the only things the people are surrounded by are two storey buildings.
My daddy told me I was great, I unlike the rest, was born to shake the course of this world.
I was never meant to let the earth rotate peacefully on its axis, instead I challenged it to rotate forty degrees upside-down and see if it would look forty degrees my way to see the angle I looked most beautiful in.
But you, you wanted me to be quite, to stay in a box so that the only time you would take me out is when guests came over;
Hold me like some porcelain doll and say: “My, isn’t this piece of chunky brown child, this ebony skin, this curly hair and brown eyes- isn’t it so precious?”
And everybody would nod and play with my hair like I was some sort of consolation prize that had “Handle with care” written in the soles of my feet.
I was never taught to be careful.
Always taught extremity; always black, always white never here nor there.
But you, you white colour on the outside and red rage on the inside never was much attracted to us brown skin folk.
And the thing is, even if my hair had been straight you would still not have acknowledged me.
You would still speak at me and not to me, speak at a distance as if, if my words landed on you, you would be drenched in my mud.
Have you never been told that the earth is where it all began?
That brown is the colour of earth that rich soil is brown, the darker it is the more good things will come out of it?
I guess this is why you never really liked me; you never appreciated the beauty of my rich soil, left my good parts, my fertile parts always longing for a taste of your water.
I guess you loved to see me beg.
But now, now I realise I would have taken dirty brown water all over again because your clear water wasn’t all that anyway;
Instead the brown water had character, had identity, had personality and your clear water looked just like everyone else.
© Omhle Duma
***
Grade 12
***
Saturday, 4 June 2016
Dear Brother ~ Nash Aniruth
Do you remember our childhood
and the games we played together?
Do you remember how you would come home from school and say,
"Dont worry, little Bro'. I'll be around forever."
Do you remember July 3rd 1998?
You were just 10 years old
Do you remember how Mom & Dad were so excited?
"You're going to have a baby brother!", you were told.
Perhaps it's been the city life
that changed you as a person
Forgive me, big Bro'
If our relationship seems to worsen.
It's been quite a while now
Since you moved away from 'home.'
12 years to be exact
Since you left to live on your own.
12 Years later
I've grown a lot during that time
Realised the tragedies of the world
and attempted to change them through some rhymes
I don't blame you
for wanting to pursue your own life
This year I'll be done with school as well
the end of a decade of pure strife
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry if reading this makes you sad
I just wanted you to know
that you'll always be my brother
the only blood sibling I've ever had.
© Nash Aniruth
***
Grade 12
***
and the games we played together?
Do you remember how you would come home from school and say,
"Dont worry, little Bro'. I'll be around forever."
Do you remember July 3rd 1998?
You were just 10 years old
Do you remember how Mom & Dad were so excited?
"You're going to have a baby brother!", you were told.
Perhaps it's been the city life
that changed you as a person
Forgive me, big Bro'
If our relationship seems to worsen.
It's been quite a while now
Since you moved away from 'home.'
12 years to be exact
Since you left to live on your own.
12 Years later
I've grown a lot during that time
Realised the tragedies of the world
and attempted to change them through some rhymes
I don't blame you
for wanting to pursue your own life
This year I'll be done with school as well
the end of a decade of pure strife
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry if reading this makes you sad
I just wanted you to know
that you'll always be my brother
the only blood sibling I've ever had.
© Nash Aniruth
***
Grade 12
***
Multiband Compression of a Dream ~ Nash Aniruth
I'm sorry.
Sorry that I have dreams...
Dreams so amplitudally high
that you high-passed
my harmonics
In an attempt
to prevent me
from reaching the sky.
Dreams which were once so miniscule
That they were often ridiculed.
Sorry for these goals that I have
Buried deep within the lowest frequencies of the succulent
known as my mind.
-The very orchard from which you
Extracted the ripeness
and synthesized it into something bitter
and dissonant.
You limited and compressed my creativity
Until my life eventually lacked dynamic range.
The kickdrum with a fundamental frequency Of 75 hertz.
Which pounds relentlessly through
the chamber of my mind at 128 beats per minute
Every.
Single.
Day.
-Sorry
For the perpetual
music within my mind.
© Nash Aniruth
***
Grade 12
***
Sorry that I have dreams...
Dreams so amplitudally high
that you high-passed
my harmonics
In an attempt
to prevent me
from reaching the sky.
Dreams which were once so miniscule
That they were often ridiculed.
Sorry for these goals that I have
Buried deep within the lowest frequencies of the succulent
known as my mind.
-The very orchard from which you
Extracted the ripeness
and synthesized it into something bitter
and dissonant.
You limited and compressed my creativity
Until my life eventually lacked dynamic range.
The kickdrum with a fundamental frequency Of 75 hertz.
Which pounds relentlessly through
the chamber of my mind at 128 beats per minute
Every.
Single.
Day.
-Sorry
For the perpetual
music within my mind.
© Nash Aniruth
***
Grade 12
***
Astronomy ~ Nash Aniruth
[Her] name is written on every last granule of sand
In the sky
The vast ocean of darkness
To which [she] brings light,
waves,
and eternal happiness
and [her] smile radiates at the speed of infinity light years
per second
making the stars jealous.
I often find myself pondering...
Can I keep up with the universe?
-Perhaps [she] has become my universe-
For my love resides within [her] soul
The vast darkness
that is my home
Illuminated purely by the celestial-
-packets of energy
Which float
effortlessly
through time and space.
So some day
when you ask me...
What is love?
I'll reply
Darling, love is the alpha
and the omega,
The unjustifiable phenomenon that occurs
within us all.
The radiant energy
and scent of your soul
as it feels my warm embrace
never letting go.
[You] and [I]
and everything
around us
=[We]?
Yes, 'we' are made of love
and it cannot be quantified.
© Nash Aniruth
***
Grade 12
***
In the sky
The vast ocean of darkness
To which [she] brings light,
waves,
and eternal happiness
and [her] smile radiates at the speed of infinity light years
per second
making the stars jealous.
I often find myself pondering...
Can I keep up with the universe?
-Perhaps [she] has become my universe-
For my love resides within [her] soul
The vast darkness
that is my home
Illuminated purely by the celestial-
-packets of energy
Which float
effortlessly
through time and space.
So some day
when you ask me...
What is love?
I'll reply
Darling, love is the alpha
and the omega,
The unjustifiable phenomenon that occurs
within us all.
The radiant energy
and scent of your soul
as it feels my warm embrace
never letting go.
[You] and [I]
and everything
around us
=[We]?
Yes, 'we' are made of love
and it cannot be quantified.
© Nash Aniruth
***
Grade 12
***
Saturday, 28 May 2016
Sunday, 22 May 2016
She Made It ~ Yashoda Naidoo
This is for the girl
who has attended more
funerals than weddings,
introduced herself to more doctors than
friends, yet
she capable of winning more
battles than lose.
This is for the girl
who will always be
stronger than she looks
and braver than she thinks
This is for the girl
who tattooed an electric smile,
lightning laughter, and
candid charisma.
This is for the girl
with enough backbone
to face any challenge
and resist any monkey wrench
thrown at her.
This is for the girl
who is a hero
with super powers beyond
even her own comprehension.
This one is for the girl
who wakes up every morning
and fights off her demons
so well that the rest of us
fail to remember they
ever even existed.
This one is for you.
© Yashoda Naidoo
***
Grade 9
***
who has attended more
funerals than weddings,
introduced herself to more doctors than
friends, yet
she capable of winning more
battles than lose.
This is for the girl
who will always be
stronger than she looks
and braver than she thinks
This is for the girl
who tattooed an electric smile,
lightning laughter, and
candid charisma.
This is for the girl
with enough backbone
to face any challenge
and resist any monkey wrench
thrown at her.
This is for the girl
who is a hero
with super powers beyond
even her own comprehension.
This one is for the girl
who wakes up every morning
and fights off her demons
so well that the rest of us
fail to remember they
ever even existed.
This one is for you.
© Yashoda Naidoo
***
Grade 9
***
Goddess ~ King Dopey
O thine beauty evokes the jealousy of angels
Your voice the serenade heard even by deaf ears
Intelligence beyond my understanding
With wisdom that renders King Solomon a common fool
But I am the real fool
A mere outcast such as I,
charmed by a consecrated Being such as you
Imprisoned by my own fears,insecurities, inhibitions
Walls that keep you away from me
Boundaries that take away my voice
So I can never declare how much You mean to me
They often say love is just hormones,infatuation and lust,
nothing more and unreal
But within Your presence I beg to differ
Perfection beyond divine,too great to be mirrored,
yet you are still humble above all
Heartache and depression
All because of how I feel about You
I will regret solemnly what I am about to do
Sharp blade in hand and a noose to follow through
You are a Goddess to me and your light shines through
Yet I would rather take my own life
Than have my heart rejected and broken by You...
© King Dopey
***
Grade 9
***
Your voice the serenade heard even by deaf ears
Intelligence beyond my understanding
With wisdom that renders King Solomon a common fool
But I am the real fool
A mere outcast such as I,
charmed by a consecrated Being such as you
Imprisoned by my own fears,insecurities, inhibitions
Walls that keep you away from me
Boundaries that take away my voice
So I can never declare how much You mean to me
They often say love is just hormones,infatuation and lust,
nothing more and unreal
But within Your presence I beg to differ
Perfection beyond divine,too great to be mirrored,
yet you are still humble above all
Heartache and depression
All because of how I feel about You
I will regret solemnly what I am about to do
Sharp blade in hand and a noose to follow through
You are a Goddess to me and your light shines through
Yet I would rather take my own life
Than have my heart rejected and broken by You...
© King Dopey
***
Grade 9
***
This Soul ~ Minenhle Hadebe
If I should die, think only this of me:
A tranquil human being, who was full of joy and happiness
Who people admired her ambitiousness.
A young African lady
Who was not anywhere near of being shady.
With a colourful personality
and huge love of her nationality.
Full of jokes, fun and laughter
what more could you ask for.
Beauty was her second name,
With the love of making people laugh and smile,
was her only aim.
As flame is to heat as rose is to scent.
She was a soul full of greatness
with a sweet, loving and caring heart.
A teenager vying into adulthood.
© Minenhle Hadebe
***
Grade 9
***
Somewhere In Between ~ Nosipho Mtshali
If i should die, think only this of me
Of how i always smiled at you,
mesmerized by your beauty
Of how i always tried to make you happy
despite the challenges that we faced.
But you never saw through that smile,
that deep inside i was hurting.
You were never able to see
that my heart was nothing
but an empty shell
And it was all because of you...
But i do not want you to feel guilty
for you did not know what you were doing.
You were caught up in the world
And its devious ways,
Nor do i want you to think that you are innocent
because trust me, you are far from that.
You made me string along behind you
like a lost fool
You made me feel like a sheep with no direction
But forget about that,
for i am now in a better place
I am happier than i ever was
or ever could be when i was around you.
And remember that you are not guilty,
nor are you innocent,
But floating somewhere in between.
© Nosipho Mtshali
***
Grade 9
***
Death ~ Palisa Molefe
remember those distant memories
that you have grown to love
do not feel depressed
when under grains of sand
my body is compressed
remember my warm laughter
that will live happily ever after
the tears shed
when I learned my life would come to an end
remember me, for me
the good and the bad
I'm sorry
if I ever made you sad
I've lived, I've loved, I've lost
but if I should in this very moment
close my eyes for all eternity
remember me at my happiest
Happy, happy that my time on earth
was filled with fond memories
that I'll take with me
wherever the road leads me
If I should die think only this of me...
© Palisa Molefe
***
Grade 9
***
If I Should Die ~ Megan Thomas
The curl in my hair
The warmth of my skin
The hazel in my eyes
The soft touch of my hands
The sweet sound of my laughter
Remember the moments when I was with you
because in those moments I was at my best
I wasn't your typical girl
I wasn't known for my shyness,
Prettiness,
Intelligence or
Humor
But I didn't care
all I want to be remembered is, as yours.
© Megan Thomas
***
Grade 9
***
The warmth of my skin
The hazel in my eyes
The soft touch of my hands
The sweet sound of my laughter
Remember the moments when I was with you
because in those moments I was at my best
I wasn't your typical girl
I wasn't known for my shyness,
Prettiness,
Intelligence or
Humor
But I didn't care
all I want to be remembered is, as yours.
© Megan Thomas
***
Grade 9
***
See You Again ~ Samkelo Ndaba
If I should die, think only this of me
I was born to live
and learnt how to give
I had a purpose to fufill
which was part of Gods will
For loving not hating
and always praying
I was there when you needed me
and I always will be
Maybe not physically but spiratually
I was the one who gave you butterflies
when ever I smiled
The time has come where I no longer live
For there's no more time for me to relive
Chin up and don't be sad
for you must remember that,
we'll meet again
© Samkelo Ndaba
***
Grade 9
***
I was born to live
and learnt how to give
I had a purpose to fufill
which was part of Gods will
For loving not hating
and always praying
I was there when you needed me
and I always will be
Maybe not physically but spiratually
I was the one who gave you butterflies
when ever I smiled
The time has come where I no longer live
For there's no more time for me to relive
Chin up and don't be sad
for you must remember that,
we'll meet again
© Samkelo Ndaba
***
Grade 9
***
Saturday, 21 May 2016
Think Only This of Me ~ Zama Madlala
Think about my loving, tender care
My presences and my sweetness
how we laughed a lot.
Remember all the memories we made
the fun, mischievous things we did
lucky we never got in trouble.
Remember I watch from a far
so don't be sad, depressed and gloomy
Go on with your days as if I were still around.
Remember many days still await you
Enjoy the days, nights, stars and
how they shine and sparkle.
I too have enjoyed the glistening night sky.
Remember I have enjoyed my life too
its amazing I've made it through
the lessons I have learnt so far
Shocked, I pulled through and
made it this far.
© Zamasishi Madlala
***
Grade 9
***
My presences and my sweetness
how we laughed a lot.
Remember all the memories we made
the fun, mischievous things we did
lucky we never got in trouble.
Remember I watch from a far
so don't be sad, depressed and gloomy
Go on with your days as if I were still around.
Remember many days still await you
Enjoy the days, nights, stars and
how they shine and sparkle.
I too have enjoyed the glistening night sky.
Remember I have enjoyed my life too
its amazing I've made it through
the lessons I have learnt so far
Shocked, I pulled through and
made it this far.
© Zamasishi Madlala
***
Grade 9
***
My Science Lab ~ Sphelele Majola
If I should die, think only this of me:
I am not quiet,
I am observant.
I am not irritating,
I am experimenting.
Life is my science project.
And I experiment with as many objects
possible.
I don't do dangerous things,
I just do absurd things.
I am a lover of life,
not war, hatred or fights.
I am not easily understood
but when you finally do,
you'll realise that I'm pretty simple too.
© Sphelele Majola
***
Grade 9
***
I am not quiet,
I am observant.
I am not irritating,
I am experimenting.
Life is my science project.
And I experiment with as many objects
possible.
I don't do dangerous things,
I just do absurd things.
I am a lover of life,
not war, hatred or fights.
I am not easily understood
but when you finally do,
you'll realise that I'm pretty simple too.
© Sphelele Majola
***
Grade 9
***
Feelings Untamed ~ Neha Singh
Was I loyal?
Was I trustworthy?
If I should die,
would you remember me?
Think only this of me...
Think of the things we used to do,
that only concerned me and you.
You brought me happiness,
I brought nothing but destruction.
But, did you ever notice the beauty behind a storm.
You brought me to my knees,
when you turned away and left me to grieve.
Did you ever stop to realize
that you left me paralyzed.
If I should die,
would you grieve in heart wrenching pain,
or would you walk
feelings untamed...
© Neha Singh
***
Grade 9
***
If I Should Die ~ Nirvay Parthab
If I should die tomorrow
Let the flowers dance on my grave
Let the soil remember who i was
What I stood for...
What I embodied
If I should die tomorrow
Remember me not by my flaws
But by the smile
I put on your face
Let my soul live on
And my spirit run free
Let me blossom in your heart
Let me wrap you in my wings
If I should die tomorrow
Although I shall be gone
I shall be forever young
Think only this of me...
© Nirvay Parthab
***
Grade 9
***
Let the flowers dance on my grave
Let the soil remember who i was
What I stood for...
What I embodied
If I should die tomorrow
Remember me not by my flaws
But by the smile
I put on your face
Let my soul live on
And my spirit run free
Let me blossom in your heart
Let me wrap you in my wings
If I should die tomorrow
Although I shall be gone
I shall be forever young
Think only this of me...
© Nirvay Parthab
***
Grade 9
***
Think of Me ~ Sekwanele Hlubi
If I should die think only this of me
remember me of being the man I used to be
the young gentleman I was to be
all the things I used to do
for you and for me
love me or hate me I'll forever be in your heart and mind
with you I will remain
© Sekwanele Hlubi
***
Grade 9
***
If I had to Stare Death in the Eye ~ Kudisha Singh
I held every door open for you,
I would climb every wall you built.
I fixed you up when you fell apart,
I showed the light when,
You were hidden amongst the shadows,
I was the only ship that didn't sink in your seas.
When you took the suitcase,
I took the blame.
When you walked in,
You walked out,
I gave you my wings when yours were broken,
I made the crowds shout your name,
I waited for you in the pouring rain,
Lay your roses on my grave,
One day you too would have to cross the bridge,
I will be waiting for you on the other side
© Kudisha Singh
***
Grade 9
***
Think Only This of Me ~ Yashoda Naidoo
 |
| tumblr.com |
Think of me as an undefinable warmth,
as the warmth of the morning sun,
steadier and more capable than your bedroom lamp
as you stumble down the shadow-lined hallway
and breathe in my promise, a man released
from his wrongful grave.
If it is cloudy, or if you are denied
that first stretch, those first breaths,
let me be the busy energy of the day.
I will be your strength, even through the power of my absence,
guiding you down the one sure road you choose to take,
weaving your life and your memories
so tightly to the daylight
that no one can look at them and tell them apart.
And if there is no daylight for you,
remember me as the night. Remember me as
a faint glimmer of watchful stars,
or let me be the coolness in your room,
the whisper of wind that tickles its way
across your face
and sinks deeply into your dreams.
Remember me as a time of day,
so that when your clock stops or
your city's fog shuts out the seasons,
or when you no longer have clear memories of me,
still
you cannot say that I have been forgotten.
© Yashoda Naidoo
***
Grade 9
***
Friday, 20 May 2016
If I Should Die ~ Lusanda Mhlongo
If I should die think only this of me
silence and shyness
was the exact opposite of me
I said what I like
and my spoke my mind
I was human
but I could think and do beyond human
I couldn't fly but I did much greater things
was I loyal?
was I trustworthy?
without a doubt I was a good friend
When days are dark I thought of light
Because life is too short to cry and sulk
Although I was very short in height
My presence will forever remain big and bright
I loved to sing and hated to dance
My body will die but my soul will be forever alive
singing and dancing
if I should die think only of the joy I had towards you
goodbye for now
© Lusanda Mhlongo
***
Grade 9
***
silence and shyness
was the exact opposite of me
I said what I like
and my spoke my mind
I was human
but I could think and do beyond human
I couldn't fly but I did much greater things
was I loyal?
was I trustworthy?
without a doubt I was a good friend
When days are dark I thought of light
Because life is too short to cry and sulk
Although I was very short in height
My presence will forever remain big and bright
I loved to sing and hated to dance
My body will die but my soul will be forever alive
singing and dancing
if I should die think only of the joy I had towards you
goodbye for now
© Lusanda Mhlongo
***
Grade 9
***
Who I Was ~ Nombulelo Jili
if I should die, think only this of me
I was always there when you needed me
But you couldn't see
I've helped those who drowned
in a sorrowful sea.
I've seen a lot of things
Been to a lot places
I've learnt life lessons
That I will never forget
I was nice, kind , sweet then mean
I was unpredictable
sometimes I was misunderstood
They never knew the real me
But most importantly, I
lived a life, way different
to yours.
if I should die,
please remember me.
© Nombulelo Jili
***
Grade 9
***
I was always there when you needed me
But you couldn't see
I've helped those who drowned
in a sorrowful sea.
I've seen a lot of things
Been to a lot places
I've learnt life lessons
That I will never forget
I was nice, kind , sweet then mean
I was unpredictable
sometimes I was misunderstood
They never knew the real me
But most importantly, I
lived a life, way different
to yours.
if I should die,
please remember me.
© Nombulelo Jili
***
Grade 9
***
Soldier's Journey ~ Jadee Mac Donald
If I should die, think only this of me
That this was never my destiny
I never wanted to take this path
I was forced into this ferocious blood bath
I've seen friends fall
And I've seen terror many more
But do forgive me family if I pass
I've never meant for this to break your hearts
My caring heart has become colder throughout the wars
Knocking down the fearing's doors
Looking into the eyes of a helpless victim
Promising his freedom but I tricked him
There are no winners in war
More victims you can count on the floor
I don't want to be known as a killer
But the eyes of my victims still haunt my brain
And killing more would just for a second take away the pain
My life of happiness
Was taken away for me
Not voluntarily
I've never meant for my life to turn out like this
But this is what war is
Everyone is a victim
If it's not the killing it's the voices in your head
Telling you that what you are doing is wrong
But you are told that you belong
They tell you not to stop fighting
But the souls of the dead are biting
I need to leave this chore
But this is war...
I'm expected to give my life for my country
© Jadee Mac Donald
***
Grade 9
***
If I Should Die Today ~ Senzelwe Hadebe
If I should die today, think only this of me,
I was a confusing soul, never felt more free.
I was a funny, talkative, loud and cute child,
With a crazy personality.
Remember my jokes, my smile, my wave,
Remember the time I went through my "growing phase".
Remember my truth, my love, my friendship and enthusiasm,
The one thing my friends wont miss is my sarcasm.
If I should die today, think only this of me,
I was a happy, proud, selfless person.
I had a soothing voice for my singing, speeches and to talk,
I know I may be young, I want people to remember me.
For everything I did, I hope I leave a legacy.
© Senzelwe Hadebe
***
Grade 9
***
I was a confusing soul, never felt more free.
I was a funny, talkative, loud and cute child,
With a crazy personality.
Remember my jokes, my smile, my wave,
Remember the time I went through my "growing phase".
Remember my truth, my love, my friendship and enthusiasm,
The one thing my friends wont miss is my sarcasm.
If I should die today, think only this of me,
I was a happy, proud, selfless person.
I had a soothing voice for my singing, speeches and to talk,
I know I may be young, I want people to remember me.
For everything I did, I hope I leave a legacy.
© Senzelwe Hadebe
***
Grade 9
***
If I Should Die ~ Wardah Ismail
If I should die think only this of me
We found each other, when there was no one
for you and me
Lost in the world, alone we were
going through life with no one to care
Happiness we found with each other
was life's most valued treasure
Sorrows and tears
were no more our fears
for we had each other
to wipe away our tears
You were my strength
I was your pillar
Together we could conquer
and be the winner
Our grief was halved
our happiness was doubled
All our agonies
were finally crumbled
My life is yours, to you I owe
all the wonderful moments
that had made me glow
I say this one last time
If I should die think only this of me
© Wardah Ismail
***
Grade 9
***
If I Should Die ~ Sancia Govender
If I should die, think only this of me
I was the ocean above the sand
I was the moon behind the darkness
I was your friend in deed
when you were in need.
I was a someone and not something.
My inspiration was my sincere imagination.
My support was my skyscraper of wanderlust.
I was the ultimate array of colour bursting into happiness.
My life was a rollercoaster full of high expectations
Filled with the presence of ups and downs, highs and lows.
I lived for a tomorrow that never existed.
My soul will rest in a blanket of serenity.
© Sancia Govender
***
Grade 9
***
I was the ocean above the sand
I was the moon behind the darkness
I was your friend in deed
when you were in need.
I was a someone and not something.
My inspiration was my sincere imagination.
My support was my skyscraper of wanderlust.
I was the ultimate array of colour bursting into happiness.
My life was a rollercoaster full of high expectations
Filled with the presence of ups and downs, highs and lows.
I lived for a tomorrow that never existed.
My soul will rest in a blanket of serenity.
© Sancia Govender
***
Grade 9
***
To Think ~ Mika Datadin
If I should die, think only this of me;
Those of you who left me alone,
I finished my battles on my own,
I didn't even have help from Mercy.
If I should die, think only this of me;
Even when I wasn't strong,
I tried to help you all day and night long,
When I wasn't myself entirely.
If I should die, think only this of me;
I wrote not for your entertainment, (Oh, please!)
I wrote to give myself a vacation, (What a breeze)
Now get over yourself, for the sake of poetry.
If I should die, think only this of me;
I wanted to be friends with you all, no enmity
This feeling was not mutual, unfortunately
There are no sour feelings though, trust me.
If I should die, think only this of me;
I leave a message for my very special friend,
I love you with all my heart until world's end,
Because you were the fire that warmed my icy feelings.
If I should die, think whatever you want of me,
For I would be dead.
To lose, something would have to be left,
Something called Life which, I'm sure, you hold dearly...
© Mika Datadin
***
Grade 9
***
Those of you who left me alone,
I finished my battles on my own,
I didn't even have help from Mercy.
If I should die, think only this of me;
Even when I wasn't strong,
I tried to help you all day and night long,
When I wasn't myself entirely.
If I should die, think only this of me;
I wrote not for your entertainment, (Oh, please!)
I wrote to give myself a vacation, (What a breeze)
Now get over yourself, for the sake of poetry.
If I should die, think only this of me;
I wanted to be friends with you all, no enmity
This feeling was not mutual, unfortunately
There are no sour feelings though, trust me.
If I should die, think only this of me;
I leave a message for my very special friend,
I love you with all my heart until world's end,
Because you were the fire that warmed my icy feelings.
If I should die, think whatever you want of me,
For I would be dead.
To lose, something would have to be left,
Something called Life which, I'm sure, you hold dearly...
© Mika Datadin
***
Grade 9
***
Wednesday, 18 May 2016
If I Should Die ~ Muhammad Vawda
If I should die, think only this of me
When I was a kid
You let me be
Who I wanted to be
My dad, your husband...
A drug addict...
Didn't take care of me
Always tried to push me astray
My friends, oh dear friends
I might have made it seem like i didn't care
But just remember, i was always there
Don't worry, I'll take care
To my amazing teachers
I might have not listened
Always slept in class
But deep inside, your'l always in my heart
My dear brother
You're so small and innocent
But just remember
Grow up and be decent
© Muhammad Vawda
***
Grade 9
***
When I was a kid
You let me be
Who I wanted to be
My dad, your husband...
A drug addict...
Didn't take care of me
Always tried to push me astray
My friends, oh dear friends
I might have made it seem like i didn't care
But just remember, i was always there
Don't worry, I'll take care
To my amazing teachers
I might have not listened
Always slept in class
But deep inside, your'l always in my heart
My dear brother
You're so small and innocent
But just remember
Grow up and be decent
© Muhammad Vawda
***
Grade 9
***
When I'm Gone.~ Momelezi Mdingi
If I should die, think only this of me
Think what you have always thought of me
Don't change how you feel about me
because you believe this was a tragedy,
when it was nothing but a painful reality.
Don't praise how much you loved me.
Talk about how I loved others.
Don't shout how much you hate me.
Talk about how I dealt with your hatred.
Don't emphasize my mistakes.
Talk about how I learnt from them.
Don't see me as a hero,
just because my heart rate is now zero.
Don't make your time with me a life of lies
just because I came across death
which will always be the painful truth.
When you pay your respects,
pay them with honesty.
Then I will be at peace.
© Momelezi Mdingi
***
Grade 9
***
Remember Me ~ Ayanda Sithole
If I should die,think only this of me
The only me,there could be
No bad done,but only good deeds
The brave,who can lead
If I should die,think only this of me
The only me,there could be
Gives hand to the one that needs
Heals those who bleed
If I should die,think only this of me
The only me,there could be
The role model to the little seeds
Answers to those who plead
Think only this of me.
The only me,there could be
The one,
people would die for,
to have one last see.
© Ayanda Sithole
***
Grade 9
***
Gone But Not Forgotten ~ Kiara Magan
It I should die, think only this of me,
Recall me at my best,
Forget all the rest,
This is my legacy.
Treasure every memory,
Think of my love and care,
Do not despair.
Remember all the joys we have shared,
And all the tears we have shed,
The great friendship we've had,
Without me it shall still be.
My praises should be sung,
Of all the good things that I've done,
A helping hand to whoever in need,
These were my precious deeds.
Although we are apart,
Let me remain forever in your heart,
Don't stand and weep,
Someday we will meet.
© Kiara Magan
***
Grade 9
***
Recall me at my best,
Forget all the rest,
This is my legacy.
Treasure every memory,
Think of my love and care,
Do not despair.
Remember all the joys we have shared,
And all the tears we have shed,
The great friendship we've had,
Without me it shall still be.
My praises should be sung,
Of all the good things that I've done,
A helping hand to whoever in need,
These were my precious deeds.
Although we are apart,
Let me remain forever in your heart,
Don't stand and weep,
Someday we will meet.
© Kiara Magan
***
Grade 9
***
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