We Have Entered the Night to Tell Our Tales ~ Sibongile Maseko

We have entered the night to tell our tales

For we have longed to chant
our secrets to an audience we relate to
but we could not bear to do so
in the presence of the scintillating sun.

We have entered the night to tell our tales

Tales of the shameless;
tales of the rebellious;
tales of the demented;
tales of the insipid
in their eyes.

In the eyes of the morally upright
we bring shame.

And so

We come together
to comfort
to understand
to listen
to accept one another
because we are alike

We have entered the night to tell our tales.



© Sibongile Maseko

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Grade 11
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We Enter the Night to Tell Our Tale ~ Erin van Niekerk

We enter the night to tell our tale
about us females -
You say all we do is text away
or paint our nails every day
but let the truth unveil
for we women are as delicious as a cocktail
so sweet and nice
but we can knock you down like you slipped on ice.
We women hold the power to give birth to the next generation
who might stop war and exploitation
while we are here we will stand tall
never again will we fall
we will rise up until the stars
because that is what we are.
We women are queens
looking amazing in our jeans -
It's okay to admit that when we sway
we slay!
But appreciate us for our minds
not our behinds
because we are the ones who know when to put down the guns
and that might just save your future son.
We are more than just an object.
We deserve respect.
So what if we text every day?
Don't forget to message, hey...




© Erin van Niekerk

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Grade 11
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We Enter the Night ~ Khwezi Dladla

We enter the night to tell our tale
a tale in which we never fade

of kids who have mental illnesses
but put up a facade

of poor parents who have kids
that have rich dreams
but can't afford to believe in them

of people who are the walking dead
living, breathing and walking but their souls
have already faded.

This is for the people who work 9 - 5
but can't even put food on the table to survive.

This poem is for all the people
that suffer in silence
for their voices, they scream the loudest.



© Khwezi Dladla


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Grade 11
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We Have Entered the Night ~ Nhlakanipho Magasela

Crime, violence, abuse
The story of people's lives matter
Yet people seem to act as if it is normal
Now those things seem like history

No one with the courage to talk
Tales are told by the people who need to speak
His story is about the violence and abuse of a man
His life doesn't matter as people judged him

How can a woman abuse him?
He has told the tale as many have
At the end of the tunnel there is hope
A new life without the crime and abuse



©  Nhlakanipho Magasela

***
Grade 11
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We Have Entered the Night to Tell Our Tale ~ Siphelele Khumalo

It was dark
sitting with Mrs Clark
too late to mark
so we chose to embark
to tell our tales in the dark.

Some tales were told as fairy tales
that lit up the darkness of the night -
we had food but couldn't take a bite.

Some tales were horrific
so I thought about it chronic
I told mine
and they thought I was psychotic
which was ironic
because I thought I was iconic
yet I was only toxic.

We entered the night to tell our tales
so we told on
with no light on
we all listened
we all spoke
we all told our tales as we entered the night.





© Siphelele Angel Khumalo

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Grade 11
***