Saviour ~ Mika Datadin

You say over and over again
that You're ugly, un-pretty,
unlovable,
and that is only because
You do not know what i see in You,
love

You say over and over again
that You're not worth much
but Darling, You're worth more
than the rarest gems in the world
tripled, to me

You say that there is nothing
special about those deep brown
eyes that i consider Your holy gift
They may not shine like stars do, but
They are that enchanting darkness
without which the stars could not
burn so bright

You'll never know
what love i see in You
You'll never know

You'll never know
how unworthy i am
to behold such an Angel
as You


© Mika Datadin

***
Grade 11
***

God Where Are You? ~ Shweta Singh

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

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

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

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

Temples and Churches,
I’ve looked everywhere

My hope now has turned to despair!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


©  Shweta Singh


***
Grade 11
***

Hand ~ Jadee Mac Donald

In the light of the sun

I see the magnificent creation

And I marvel in its splender

Beauty

I happily sing the creators praise

As I gaze upon the blue heavens

And my heart dance and leap with joy

As the words bubble out of my soul

To be alive and see this wonder for myself

The touch God’s magic hands

©  Jadee Mac Donald


***
Grade 8
***

Why am I Happy? ~ Fezokuhle Nkehli

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

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

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

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

now that is why i am Happy.


©  Fezokuhle Nkehli


***
Grade 11
***

Because ~ Sabelo Mfusi

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

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

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

I LOVE YOU


©  Sabelo Mfusi


***
Grade 11
***

New Found Faith ~ Siyabonga Dlamini

Seven perplexing hours, daily do we endure
Long journeys, hard work do we apply
Exasperating chases given to seven elusive symbols
As if we give our souls



Tribulations and heart breaks our minds evoke
Others die of the pressure
Others turn to the rope
Some never lose hope

New forms of worship and endless sacrifice
Financially, intellectually do we give our lives
A lot may be lost, but never goes to waste
Because school to us is like a "New Found Faith"




© Siyabonga Dlamini




***
Grade 11
***

A Praise Poem ~ Nokubongwa Zwane

I don’t know what it is
But it feels like we’re drifting away
Our smart phones have made us blind
The music has turned us deaf
And knowledge has made us dumb
Our faith is being stolen away from us
Slowly

We have forgotten who created us
He, who gave his all for us
He, who will forever love us
Yes He, who shall never forsake us
Our faith is being stolen away from us
Slowly

There’s that time of day
When we see we’ve lost our way
But because of our peers
We forget straight away
Who is he again?
What did his son do that day?
You see…
Our faith is being stolen away from us
Slowly


©  Nokubongwa Zwane


***
Grade 9
***

Two Poems ~ Phakamani Mdletshe

POWER OF GOD

I am my God's work
by my God's name I was born
by my God's name there was light on the earth
by my God's name I am who I am
we all have our different personalities
we all sleep to awake
we all part to be together
we get angry to be happy
we cry to laugh
we feel pain to feel joy
let us every day thank the lord for being born
for the light on earth
for who we are
for our personalities
for the dreams
for the joyful moments to be shared
for the feelings
and for every day that passes while we are still alive


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


EDUCATION

waking up early
carrying heavy books
homework, homework, homework
how I hate home work
geography, maths not to mention accounting
on the bright side every rich person or famous person went to school
Albert Einstein
how I love home work
not so heavy books
# school rocks


© Phakamani Mdletshe


***
Grade 8
***

Limitless ~ Sifiso Ngcobo

photo credit: heart cloud. via photopin (license)

The wind blows, houses collapse, people die
but love is always there.
Tables turn, people change, God is questioned but why?
But love is still there.
What was real becomes failure, what you know becomes useless
But yet love prevails.
Books are reviewed, authors die, stories change, everything is a mess
But yet again, love prevails.
People start to wonder, faith turns to hatred, people say goodbye
Still love is as strong as ever.
People work on the story, pigs fly, everything was a lie
Still love is as strong as ever.
It rises above all seemingly hopeless situations , a sign of peace like a white dove
What else could it be but God's love?



© Sifiso Ngcobo


***
Grade 11
***

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
***

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
***

Meleza Jali ~ If I Should Die

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

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

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

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

© Meleza Jali


***
GRADE 9
***

Shanel Motheram ~ Love

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


© Shanel Motheram


***
GRADE 8
***

Yuktha Singh ~ Hinduism

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

A religion filled with truth, righteousness and goals.

One of which is to reach liberation or to

Attain the manifestation of the divinity.

A culture so rich, so bright

And colourful.

Festivals of light,

Unity and victory!

We have not many Gods,

But one with many forms- with many names.

We call Him Emptiness

Who is the Truth of truths, 

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

Of whom naught can be said.

Thus, knowing Him-

Who is superior to the Self and Intellect,

One can slay the enemy- The desire

Which is hard to conquer!

Yuktha Singh


***
GRADE 9
***