30 POEMS 30 DAYS

Do you notice a slight chill in the air? Leaves turning? Birds flying north?

This can mean only one thing to the poets of Ladysmith High: April Poetry Writing Month is here!

It has been rather quiet in this somewhere place where few travel, but your editor is making the call to students near and far.... Crack open a new notebook, pick up a pen and challenge yourselves to write down all those poems which have been lazing away the summer in the back of your heads. Perhaps, you will write 3 poems in 30 days or 10 ... A few may reach the ultimate target of 30/30. Whatever your personal goal, know that every poem you write is an achievement, and I will publish all that are submitted to somewhere i have never travelled over the next month or two.

Happy Writing!

K.L. CLARK
Blog Editor

Whenever Your Eyes Suddenly Meet Mine ~ Andiswa Gwala

Whenever your eyes suddenly meet mine
I see them sparkle like rippling water
Whenever touched by the golden rays of sunlight
The starry glow on the surface
Turns everything into perfect bliss.

Whenever your eyes suddenly meet mine
I see their shade tint like the evening sky
Whenever the sun sets at the end of the day
The transition from day to night
Gives the smallest stars their time to shine.

Whenever your eyes suddenly meet mine
I see them become smaller like flowers
Whenever the slightest bit of Autumn wind blows
Their ability to shut with the flying dust
Ensures their everlasting protection from harm.

Whenever your eyes suddenly meet mine
I see the tears drop like rain from the summer sky
Whenever evaporation is complete in the ocean
The beauty of the falling rain in cloudy atmosphere
Makes one question the workings of nature.

Whenever your eyes suddenly meet mine
I peer directly into them and
Regardless of their colour, their size and the tears
I still see them sparkle like the still waters
Whenever touched by the silver light of the moon and stars.
Why?

Because, Even in the most quiet and darkest of nights
Whenever your eyes suddenly meet mine:
         
         Your eyes still remain your eyes.


© Andiswa Gwala


***
Grade 11
***

To My Babe ~ Mangaliso Xaba

I Love you my Babe
I Love you like I’ll never Love Again.
I Love because I know with you I always got a Friend
I Love you because I know that you really Care.
I Love you because you’ve been with me through my Tarnish,
and our Love’s Chapter has been Accomplished
but yet we still together with our Love to Share.
You stood by me through pain when no one else could Bear
just to show me that you really Care.
I know that I haven’t always been Fair,
When we have our fights then you lose,
I get so thrilled because I know that I hadn’t just won the fight
But I have won a woman who truly and deeply Loves Me.
I will Love you forever, even when there’s no more beauty to See
Because I promised you on the first day, that I’ll be with you Forever
And to tell the truth, the Due Date of my promise will appear on the day we can no longer be Together,
the day one of us says Goodbye to Another
looking anxiously at the Dove’s Feathers.
Telling a Tale of: ”We meet to Part, But we Part to Meet”
 

© Mangaliso Mthandazi Xaba (Mangz Nation)


***
Grade 11
***

My Sister ~ Banele Kubheka

From the same womb
We were conceived
From the same breast
We fed.

So alike do we look
I was once called yours
So alike do we think
Every time an ultimatum comes up
I know exactly what you would have chosen.
So alike do we act
You would swear we were twins.

When I am in need
You are always beside me
When I am feeling down
Your motivational pep talk is always appreciated
When I am upset
I think only of you and my day is made

Hear me now
Let your problems be mine
For help is always at hand
Let your joys be mine
So we may enjoy each other’s company.

By blood
You are my sister
But by heart
You are the better me.


©  Banele Kubheka


***
Grade 10
***

Hope, Peace and Happiness ~ Banele Kubheka

In times of sorrow
When I have given up all
When I wish it were all over
When I see no good in me
Or in the people around me
You give me hope.

When I am at war
Fighting with myself
Fighting all that is right
Fighting against the reality of the truth
My conscience burying its mortification
You give me peace.

When I find no joy in living
Frowning at all the wondrous moments of life
When the most memorable things and characters
Become abhorrent to me
You give me happiness.

And because you do so much for me
You make my pessimism yours
My wars your wars
My woes yours
I offer you my love.


© Banele Kubheka


***
Grade 10
***

The Importance of Love ~ Banele Kubheka

If only it could be pumped by my heart
Like blood
Through every artery and every vein
To every part of my body that pleaded for it.

If only it could be harnessed
Stored
And used to save lives
Lives of those who needed it most
If only its absence could cause illness
To prove it importance.

Without love, life would have no meaning
No reason behind it
Nothing to look forward to
Life without love is like a body without blood
Useless, Hopeless, Dead.

If love replaced blood,
Would people realize it importance?


© Banele Kubheka


***
Grade 10
***

The Villainous Villanelle

The Villanelle is a more tricky form to master, but it produces remarkable results with a little bit of effort.
To summarise, it is a 19 line poem, consisting of five 3-line stanzas and a final 4 - line stanza. Two lines repeat throughout the poem, which means you have to write 11 unique lines, plus the two which repeat. In addition to this, there is a rhyme scheme, using two rhymes (a and b).
a b a   a b a   a b a   a b a   a b a   a b a a
You do not have to count the syllables of your lines, unless you want to, but lines should be consistent in length (between 8 - 10 syllables).

The first step is to write a rhyming couplet which contains the main theme of your poem. It must have a 'stand alone' sense but should also be possible to be used individually as the concluding lines of your stanzas.
Dylan Thomas wrote one of the most famous villanelles in English literary history. You can read the full text HERE. His repeating lines are:

Do not go gentle into that good night     (lines 1, 6, 12, 18)
Rage, rage against the dying of the light  (lines 3, 9, 15, 19)

Schematic:

Line 1 (a) Repeat
Line 2 (b)
Line 3 (a) Repeat

Line 4 (a)
Line 5 (b)
Line 1 (a) R

Line 7 (a)
Line 8 (b)
Line 3 (a) R

Line 10 (a)
Line 11 (b)
Line 1   (a) R

Line 13 (a)
Line 14 (b)
Line 3   (a) R

Line 16 (a)
Line 17 (b)
Line 1   (a) R
Line 2   (a) R

This may seem like an impossible task, but examples of amazing villanelles are to be found on this blog.

Click the links below:

 Cheron ~ Burnt Out

Meleza ~ A Letter to my Grandfather

Yuktha ~ Winter has been Blown Away

Pryaska ~ Far Above the Milky Way

Nsiki ~ Death of Nature

Be Inspired by Music! (A Poetry Prompt)

For those who prefer a less formal approach to writing poetry, it is best to allow ideas to flow in Free Verse. Remember that correct phrasing and some punctuation is still necessary for your writing to make sense to your reader. When you do not have a fixed idea of what to write about, a favourite song can provide a starting point.

This is my favourite song of April.





 If you like it too, why not write a poem beginning with the words:

Once I was _________ years old...

Supply your own landmark years; think of where you have come from and where you are going in life, as well as those important people who have helped you on you way.

Two Short Poems by Vriti Maharaj

Poem about Poetry

Who is this poetry we speak of?
Hidden underneath the exterior,
Lies a depth of secretive meaning,
It may be colourful or dismal,
Joy or despair,
It only takes a pen and paper,
To let others see what I’m experiencing.
So concise yet so deep,
It proves,
A little can be a lot.



*************************************************

Adolescence 

Ambivalence,
Confusion,
Heartbreak.
What is this sin that I have to pay?
I search for my place,
Through this labyrinth of adolescence.
The reality breaks free rushing towards you,
This is life!
Filled with pain and pleasure.
It is time to embrace this emotional rollercoaster.
The joys and blues,
All will soon disappear,
After all I’m just a teenager.



© Vriti Maharaj


***
Grade 10
***

Fire in the Veld ~ Vriti Maharaj

Oh dance your ravenous flames as you devour the plains,
Grasping all the life within reach,
Perished to ash,
Your treacherous hold destroys the bearings of the veld,
Depositing bellows of charcoal-black smoke into the sphere,
Your inviting beauty of your golden flames cannot be trusted,
What power you have,
the velocity you possess.
And once your hunger has been satisfied,
Your superiority exists no more,
Your flames simmer down,
And the crackles soften,
You’ve disappeared,
Till your next visit.


© Vriti Maharaj


***
Grade 10
***

That Car! ~ Charné Williams

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

© Charné Williams

***
GRADE 9
***

If I Should Die ~ Charné Williams

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


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



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



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

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

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

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

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



© Charné Williams

***
GRADE 9
***

You Told Me ~ Asanda Makhubo

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

© Asanda Makhubo

***
GRADE 8
***

My Final Goodbye, Friend ~ Asanda Makhubo

(Dedicated to my late best friend Ziyanda Hlela)


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

© Asanda Makhubo

***
GRADE 8
***

Thinking of You ~ Asanda Makhubo

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



© Asanda Makhubo


***
GRADE 8
***

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

This poem is a cool breeze.

This poem is the freezing snow.

This poem is peaceful death.

This poem is a deep breath of life-

A cool touch that stirs one's senses.

It's a minute wave treading on the dry earth,

That whispers tales of unknown worlds

Where is had danced on calm waters.

This poem is the cool breeze.

This poem is a vast coat of ice,

That ensnares life in crystal flakes.

Memories lost in mortality

Lie buried beneath its ominous beauty.

Like fallen stars illuminating the earth,

This poem is the freezing snow.

This poem is a man lurking in the shadows-

A memory devouring one's courage,

Like a nightmare dwelling in an innocent mind.

It's a lonely journey to an unknown truth,

In which souls fearfully embark.

This poem is peaceful death.

This poem is the cool, tingling breeze.

This poem is the white, freezing snow.

This poem is the inevitable and peaceful death.

© Nsiki Gwala

***

GRADE 10

***

Eternal Happiness ~ Nsiki Gwala

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

© Nsiki Gwala

***
GRADE 10
***

Winter ~ Nsiki Gwala

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

© Nsiki Gwala

***

GRADE 10

***

The Beauty of Night - Nsiki Gwala

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

© Nsiki Gwala

***

GRADE 10

***

Ruby ~ Vuyani Ntshingila

Ruby



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

© Vuyani Ntshingila

***

GRADE 9

***