For P ~ Amahle Njilo

Let the broken clouds in the sky carry his wasted tears for the woman he once lost,
And let the embers of the fire crackle of his scattered pain.
Let the emblem of his love be his heart that he so proudly placed in broken hands.
I see him.
I see the deep oceans of heartache in his eyes.
I see the manmade dam, overflowing
Threatening to flow hastened over the walls.
And his smile, faint.
When last did I see you smile?
The mirror in front of him, it couldn’t mirror what he wanted to see.
You can never retain the knowledge of something you already know.
Because you see what you think,
And you think what you feel,
And he felt nothing.
He was numb.
He was hers.
She moved on.
She held the world in broken hands.
She was his world.
And, as the nymph replied to the shepherd
That love, is somewhat materialistic.
It was never meant for us.
We belong to the world of animals.
I live for him, he lives for her.
I die for him, he dies for her.
I cry for him, he cries for her.
Do nothing for love and it will treat you like a gem
For love never replies to its call:
It only comes when you’re nothing but a shell of your former self- your happy former self.

Amahle Njilo

***

Grade 11

***

The Calm Before the Storm ~ Jivana Reddy

I deserve the rainbows in your eyes
Even with the storms in mine
You have become the calm tides
In my ocean soul
You drift away from my shores
Without a thunder whispered
I wish you would come back.



© Jivana Reddy

***
Matriculant 2017
***

Widowed of A Living Companion ~ Mika Datadin

Love me the way you did when we were young

When she became old and waned

When you needed another muse as she lay in her bed

And you in mine

When you grew tired of her age

And accustomed to my beauty



I remember how your face would bath

In golden light on my pillow

I remember how you would buy me flowers

And clothes, and everything a young maid desires

But you could never but for me your real

love, your real self; for that is priceless to me



And then another came around

The same time my attraction weakened

You told me you needed to move on

To discover yourself

Here I am, left in my bed

And you in hers



I pray to you now to remember how my radiance had once sung

Love me again the way you did when we were young



©  Mika Datadin

***
Grade 11
***

Rehab From Love: 4 Poems ~ Uwais Coetzee

Rehab from Love

I’m trying to get better,
Trying to better my mentality.
Trying to ease my hurt,
Not physically but mentally.
You didn’t hurt me
I handed myself the rope
Your perfection drew me in
But I thought I had hope.
I thought I had a chance
I thought it might work out.
I thought you’d love back
But you chose a different route.
You chose to change
And I still wonder why,
The hearts explained it all,
You chose another guy.
I know I’m imperfect
I know I’m not the best,
But you said it yourself
I wasn’t like the rest.
Didn’t you want something
Nobody else could get,
You didn’t have to worry,
Nobody else was a threat.
You could have been the Harley to my Joker,
Fit my madness like a glove,
But now I’m in the mental hospital
Getting rehab from your love.

Their Favourite Place

They hung their moth-eaten coats
On the same rack every day
As they’d quietly think
Of something to say,
Something to do,
Something to be
Not as serious as lovers
But just “you and me”.
They sat at the same table
Every week
Not touching their cell-phones
But not a word they’d speak,
Not a phrase they’d utter,
Not a breath too loud,
Their silent co-existence
Was enough in the crowd.
The steps they’d take,
The posture they’d pose,
The way he always brought
A cliched red rose.
The songs they played
And in silence they sang,
The bartender’s noises,
The same cling, same clang.
The same situation
In the place that was theirs,
The way no one pays attention,
The way no one cares.
The same broken thoughts,
The same tear-stained face,
They went on different days
To their old favourite place.

Hello

He was shy and she was reserved
And they never knew each other well
But both were in love and both were infatuated
But neither one could tell.
She was sneaky and he was sly
And they’d both stalk each other online.
They had pain and were heartbroken
But both always said they were fine.
So she went out with friends
And he locked himself away
And both were sad and broken
When daylight broke the next day.
Because she was a party animal
And him, an insomniac
And of course both desperately
Wanted to go back.
They were both still in love
But neither told the other, though,
And each was left broken each day
As they painfully left it at ‘hello’.

It Hurt the Same

He continued with his love
Even though it caused him pain
And he just soaked it in
Like the ground soaks up the rain.
But he continued to do it
And he simply didn’t care
About the pain it caused him
And it simply wasn’t fair
That she never loved him
And showed him no affection
And the unrequited love
Led him in the wrong direction.
He locked himself away
And couldn’t sleep a wink
Because the pain she left him with
Left him with a lot to think
And feel and know
All about
Because she became something
That he couldn’t live without.
He contemplated death
But contemplated life
And then wanted to
Impale himself with a knife
Because he was on his last life
In this painful game
Because the pain she left him with
And death, hurt just the same.

©  Uwais Coetzee

***
Grade 12
***

Tense ~ Mangaliso Xaba

© Mangaliso Xaba ~ MangzNation

***
Grade 12
***

Love Lost ~ Mangoliso Xaba

MangzNation

Standing  in front of the mirror
Hyped up due to thoughts of love roaming in mind.
Not believing that she’s really mine.
I remember telling her that I really dig her,
She told me to stop digging as she’s not mine.
Anyways I don’t mean to brag but
Her body is a major skew line,
Curves in all the right places.
I love her and would never trade her for a dime.
She’s my number one, well the rest shall follow.
A beautiful soul and my shoulder to cry on.
But as I deeply stare at my reflection on the mirror,
I can feel the lyrics of love play softer and slower in my head.
I then realise my dimples start to fade.
All because Real Love was Lost, and Lust was Found.

MangzNation

© Mangaliso Xaba [MangzNation]

***
Grade 12
***

I Still Do ~ Uwais Coetzee

i still think of you everyday.
i still do.
if anyone mentions love and happiness
in my mind is you.
do you think of me
the same way?
if i tried to leave
would you want me to stay?
would you ask me to stay?
would my absence make you
long for something that could've been yours
at any point along the way?
as selfish as it seems,
i hope you're sad
when we part ways.
i hope you bawl,
i hope you cry,
i hope when people ask if you're okay
you have to lie.
i hope you feel how i felt
for months and months on end.
not knowing if our happiness
is just around the bend.
because you kept me hoping.
wishing.
thinking we could be.
while all along knowing
that you didn't want me.
while you spoke to everyone else
and kept me on a rope.
the rope around my heart
forcing me to hope.
that one day, eventually
i'd be lucky enough to have you.
i still think of you everyday.
i still do.


©  Uwais Coetzee


***
Grade 12
***

Mangaliso Xaba ~ Two Poems

STORYLINE

The pain I’ve ever felt
Comes back to haunt me every now and then.
The sad stories I’ve ever kept,
Are leading me closer to a lion’s den.
The pressure that I have dealt
Keeps adding weight upon my strength.
Am I still living life
Or I’m just not living right?
Even with my eyes closed
My emotions still pose.
Even with a crowd
My face is always in a frown.
Is this life fair
Or is it just a nightmare?
Nobody seems to ever care
Because nobody can ever dare
To live my life, as it is not a funfair.
PILLS and POTIONS roaming in my mind,
Am I next in the suicidal line?
Is there ever going to be a soul to remember this life of mine?

I MISS HER

Being without her feels like I’ve lost an important key
She said I should move on and let me and her be.
That pained like an open wound being seasoned by a breeze,
It’s still too difficult for me to find peace.
She tells me her man can afford her a weave
And I’m just  a schoolboy bugging her like a bee.
I tell her that her relationship is not based on Love but on a spree,
She thinks she’s made it in Love but she is not free.
I should be intimidated by her as she’s always on fire
But my Love for her is too deep, she’s my desire.



© Mangaliso Xaba a.k.a. MangzNation

***
Grade 11
***

Oblivion ~ Marlize van der Merwe

Its Just Another Broken Heart To Happiness

I feel so empty, so lost, so heartless
It feels like I've lost everything
I feel like I have nothing else to lose
You were the one who made me happy inside
I was the one who kept you smiling
I was your first morning text
and your last goodnight kiss
It hurts me now more than ever
the pain trapped inside forever
The words that came from you
meant nothing at the end
The words 'I Love You' was just there for pretend
Every time I see you my heart skips a beat
Because of fear, because of happiness,
because of sadness, because of anger.
But most of all because I miss
seeing you smile at me for no reason
To see you blush whenever I smile back
I miss your hugs
I miss your kisses
I miss the feeling of our hands together
I miss our cuddles
I miss our runs together
I miss our laughs and our stupid jokes
I never knew meeting you would bring so much happiness
into my life until my heart broke into a million pieces.
Yet you have a smile, while I have to hide my pain likes its a game


©  Marlize van der Merwe

***
Grade 9
***

New Beginnings: Five Poems by Uwais Coetzee

New Beginnings

The big day was here.
The first day of the rest of your life.
To spend your life with someone.
Down the isle rose petals lay.
Today was your wedding day.
The music began
and you walked down the isle.
You walked with your dad.
Everyone's face had a smile.
Reaching the alter to begin the vows.
To love and to hold.
In sickness and health.
Till death do us part.
I do.
I do.
I do.
I looked into your eyes.
All shiny and blue.
Saw you happy again
starting anew.
Convincing myself it was a beginning
And not the end.
But there you were at the altar.
Marrying my best friend.

Losing You

I lost you.
Not immediately
But definitely, completely,
eternally.
I lost you while looking elsewhere
I lost you slowly
But all at once.
I saw us losing the connection
we had once before.
I secretly wished that
we had it once more.
I still felt the same.
Right down to my core.
But our distracted conversations
seemed to stay a bore.
I wanted that connection
to return.
Every time I saw you
my heart used to yearn
My mind and soul
used to burn.
Your feelings I
needed to learn
I need you know how you feel
To complete me .
Sadly the statement that is true
Is that I was slowly but surely Losing You.

Losing Myself

The world is ruthless
It tears us apart
Losing parts of us we need
Like a donkey that lost it's cart.
I am no stranger
To the ruthlessness of this place
Becoming emotional cogs ,
Simply becoming another face.
Getting torn apart piece by piece
When we're simply trying to live
Losing all we have until
There's nothing left to give.
Losing ourselves while
Simply trying to survive
Not knowing whether you're
Simply existing or wondering if you're even alive.
We're losing ourselves in our
Very own tears , sweat and blood
Losing individuality in life
Simply part of the ground and mud.
Simply becoming another wave
In the world's sea,
Losing originality.
I'm Losing Me.

Lost Souls

We are all lost
don't know where to go
wandering aimlessly.
What's the choice , yes or no?
Choices have consequences.
It's always right or wrong.
Depending on your decisions in life
The road could be long.
Everyone makes mistakes sometimes
But you made that choice on your own.
It's simply human nature.
No one's fault but your own.
On that day the choice was wrong
But I kept silent and clenched my fist.
With you it was nothing new,
just another bad choice to add to the list.
Things were going well
Until you screamed "Let me drive".
I turned my head to stare at you
and silently prayed to stay alive.
The night was cold and
the road was dark and the lights weren't helping much.
And your infamously terrible driving skills
stacked it all against us as such.
I sat quiet in the back and held
Onto my seat as you said you had it under control.
But I couldn't keep my screams at bay as
we swerved to dodge a pole.
I realized what was happening
After the car had done two rolls.
Wondering if when we die we'll rest
Or simply be Lost Souls.                          

I hope it's not

Everything in life
at some point must go.
But here in these words ,
there's something more to know.
Something different to hear,
something new to see
from those eyes of yours
that see right through me.
If something isn't constant
then change it must.
"Was it true ? Or simply
infatuation-like lust ?"
On that day I walked.
Walked away from you.
That was the last time I stared
into that deep ocean blue.
I hope our paths cross
before we're old and start to rot.
Right now it feels like the end
But I hope it's not.

©  Uwais Coetzee

***
Grade 11
***

The Deceiver & Other Poems ~ Bridget Machepha

The Deceiver

when one goes crazy and crazy losing their minds
in the comfort of their deceivers hands, he
smiles and says "hey" he knows that he just
plunged the dagger deeper into the crusts of
your soul. here is no tuning back to the empty
shadows of what was but you have to walk into
the emptiness of what is in the now moments of
dark eyed demons of your future with the
deceiver your one true love! or so you thought....
run into bright light of nothingness!

No Fool

what's pain without experience, to sit and think
about the components that made up your life
and the hardships that rather destroyed your
past, remolding your present was the thing of
the future but now grab that wrecking ball with
two fingers and gently lay it down on the already
wrecked platform of what already is your today
and your tomorrow ran for the hills of no return.
she would lookup and all she saw was betrayal
not from me, no but the abuser ... him. who is
this he that lured me in then justified his name
and abused the victim of which is the darker
outline of my shadows. when he fell he dragged
me down with him but in reality he never touched
that ground but i, i didn't touch it either but i
hang by the thread of his jacket, afraid to let my
toes touch the hot ground of his lies... just so
that i could sink deep into the waters of his
promises.i wish i never believed him... he called
me his soldier... and so i thought what dignity
does a soldier have if he goes down without a
battle. i played the fool...for did he know that one
acts like a fool to fool the fool who thought they
trying to fool you!

Newsflash

OK so I sit with him, he sits with me yet we not
sitting together. For the invisible barrier that not
only stretches across between us but surrounds
us making connection almost existent. You know
you think you've conquered everything just
because you think you fooled the foolishness
within me. Newsflash one can never fool another
but can show how foolish they really are by
playing the protector, the commander, by being
the one person you thought has your back. Now
that is pure stupidity... Betrayal and an act of
nothing more than proving the monster that eats
away your toes and hands just to spit it all in
your heart leaving it wasted and rotten. That's
when one starts to realize, what good can come
from that!?! You see good things are not only
given to you but they too chose you! You claim
to be His, are you truly... You say you different
from them, really now? You decided to put that
difference under your pillow hoping to find it the
next morning forgetting that putting it aside
made you one of them. You are now the abuser.
wearing a mask will never be enough to hide the
smirk of deception your once so innocent little
blurred out face possessed
The abuser will abuse and the abused will
conquer... You wait and see!!!


© Bridget Machepha

***

A Skeleton in the Floor ~ Nishka Ramkhelawan

Time's starving hand stole
your soul away from this
life quenching world.

The frame which once
held your vivacious body so
perfectly together
remains utterly
unresponsive.

You were robbed of
your time here.
And now we are
left vacant and empty
like Satan's impassive
heart.

There was once a girl
who was so vibrant.
Her powdery, pallid body
now swathes the river floor.


© Nishka Ramkhelawan


***
Matriculant 2016
***

Letter to my love... ~ Siyabonga Dlamini

I'm sorry for not being the one despite all my efforts,
for all my mistakes...
I'm sorry for my lack of understanding and consideration,
for all the heartache I caused...
I'm sorry that I'm easily replaceable,
that I'm easily forgotten...
I'm sorry that I was able to repel you with a few minor unintended misunderstandings,
despite how I remained through all the confusion you put me through...

I tried my best to please you
but I guess it's easy to lose track of months' worth of happiness together
as compared to a few weeks' errors and misconceptions while separate..
I'd say my heart is broken but at such a point in time I can  assume I don't possess one anymore...
Sorrow enforced insomniac habits and self induced lacerations have become my daily bread...
Neither the sight of my own blood pools on my sheets nor  deep wounds seem not to scare me anymore
my worst fears have come to as losing you was one of them
Once had you told me you possess the same fears but I guess you were finally able to face them...
The possibilities of you coming across this message are very slim yet I hope you do...
Once bearing the pride of your ultimate high, your ecstasy
but I guess you found your cocaine to replace me...
You never gave me the chance to elaborate on the reasons behind my misunderstandings
nor said your final goodbye properly but  guess I will have to live with it...
Each night is either clouded with visages of jealousy and suffering in my mind
followed by endless inquests lacking responses
or bloodshot eyes and shaky fingertips spent in my own company..
Sleep is only achieved either by extreme fatigue emotionally and physically...
Morning is clouded with unfulfilled hopes of another chance t speak to you again..
Sour disappointment and the sharp reality are my daily breakfast,
Best served cold...

One day I hope you will think about me, that you will care...
One day I hope that I may forgive myself and move on..
But until that day comes I will remain as I am...

Yours Sincerely

A Broken Man...


© Siyabonga Dlamini

***
Matriculant 2016
***

The Love I Gave Away ~ Malwazi Moholi

I gave away a part of me
That I wanted to look at but also didn't want
To keep.

I was here, I walked on this
Grand soil
I loved, I got hurt and got my
Heart shattered.
I hurt, and took a blade
Against my flesh and
Watched the red fade and
Dissolve into water.
I lived, and I enjoyed
Every waking moment of
My bright brown eyes.
All of this I once had
Before the darkness consumed
My soul.
I loved.
I walked.
I got hurt.
I lived...

But I looked into her ocean blue eyes
And knew...

I knew it was her,
She was the one
Whom I gave   the only reason
That kept me breathing, loving and hurting.

I gave away a part of me
And it stopped beating in the process.


© Malwazi Moholi

***
Grade 11
***

Beautiful Creatures ~ Malwazi Moholi

Beautiful creatures
Roaming the earth
Some blue eyed
Some green eyed
But
Mine is brown eyed
My muse
My reason for writing

Although It may hurt me
I still obsess.
It carries me above the clouds
Knows my most deepest thoughts
It can fly.

My beautiful creature has
Brown, curled hair,
Broad shoulders.
My beautiful creature
Cuddles,
Loves although hides,
Funny...

my Beautiful Creature
Is not Mine.
He Let me Go.
He let me fall to my death
Onto the cracked Earth,

In order to Catch another...


©  Malwazi Moholi

***
Grade 11
***

Goodbyes ~ Uwais Coetzee

We lived in different worlds
Lived in different bounds
We met by coincidence
From our different backgrounds

We knew different sounds
Difference views and sights
You were from the outside
But I knew city lights

We longed to explore the night
To count a million stars
And if it were a cloudy night
Replace them with moving cars

We wanted  long walks upon the hot tar
For someone , something
To return the love we would give so easily
Just for our hearts to sing

We needed life to bring
Bring us each other
We longed for the love
That we could give one another.

Then , that one summer
Life brought me you
I saw those eyes and fell for
That deep ocean blue

I thought it was true
But it was instead brief
Like winter upon the
Falling of a leaf

The time had come
For the love tree to die
And now here we stand
Saying our final goodbyes.
 

© Uwais Coetzee

***
Grade 11
***

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
***

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
***

The One That Got Away ~ Banele Kubheka

Where did I go wrong?
Every day I question myself
Was I not good enough?
Was I not your type?

When I first met you
I never thought
I would so attached to you
I never thought
I would long for you this much
I would crave your company this badly
I would yearn for your companionship
I never thought at all.

I regret not taking all the chances I had
All the opportunities you gave me

Your eyes
Smiling ever time you stole a glance at me
Your hands
Finishing every sentence your mouth faltered
Your body
Moving with every bit of elegance and self-confidence
Yet you slipped right through my fingers
You never know how much you love someone
Until they leave you
The one that got away.


© Banele Kubheka


***
Grade 10
***

Prodigal Son ~ Siyabonga Dlamini

Tribute to Siphe Ndimande

Brother,we can never express how we currently feel
Our tears may run out, but our hearts shall never heal
You understood all, brought joy where you could
But I guess you found yourself misunderstood
Throughout your life, bless all the friends that you gained
But even a smile can hide so much pain
Your healing smile, laughter resonating in our heads
But I guess your soul had to be put to bed
The lips can never say what the mind wishes to
All the memories, all you've been through
Our minds are in constant chaos,yet we remain speechless
You will forever be with us until the end
Because to us you were more than just a friend...



© Siyabonga Dlamini


***
Grade 12
***