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Open Wounds

Thulisile Ngomane

you’ve become a gladiator
trained in the art of fighting back tears
you suppress your appetite with swallowed cries
that the floods arise and drown you

from within


yet, still you’re parched
so you drink of these tears

till the sorrow quenches your thirst


your screams are so silently high pitched

breaking every glass heart

that dares come in close proximity
flagging open chambers

into closed tombs

with bloodstained hands

trembling into fist motion
in attempt to draw resilience

through this gut-wrenching self inflicted war of insecurities and unattainable ideals


flamed arrows drawn

and fired straight at us

burning everything we’ve come to know and accepted as good enough


everything

went up in flames

what we lost in the fire

got soaked in the rain

and the rain washed away

more than just our ashes

now we’re just a puddle of black filth that everyone is careful not to step into
paralysed by guilt-stricken grief


how long?

how long is long enough to mourn the dreams that died

before they were even born?


infant angels that never matured enough to grow wings

lovers lost before they could even be found to love or be loved

dead dreams

having open casket funerals
for people to stare

and shake their heads at the loss
the loss of it all

we bow our heads

for just a moment

but for what feels

like an eternity of silence.

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