Flimsy promises making their way across a balmySub-Saharan sky,held up by spurs of the moment,swept on via jealous winds. 3% chance of fulfilment.Never trust the smooth tongueof a being concocted by your own desires. All Rights ReservedCopyright © 2021 Tebogo … Continue reading
I had forgotten how to lovewhen you built a stairway to my hell. …my inferno: a mangled mass of existential curveballs, bleeding mess, piercing misery. There you transfigured thistles and thorns into the strong kind of tender -work we’re always … Continue reading
Her mind drenched in flattery and connotations of affection. Feet flying in circles as you spin her around, like a rolled up carpet scooped up in arms excited by a landlord’s eviction. That moment when something that’s supposed to be … Continue reading
She’s home.
Her body aches for arms resilient so that she can take in and store some of that brawn for tomorrow – all her grand designs adequately pursued today. Now, she retires to the familiarity of your stability. She is the parasite. You are the gifted – the caliber people tell to run from weapons like her. But you enjoy the carnage, the violent dance. You know you do, innocent pretender. And so here you are.
Home.
Copyright ©️ 2020 Tebogo Ndlovu
He knows what ice cubes and melons are for;
Ungovernable summer days
Coexisting with laid back conversation,
Dangerously catchy music,
Lazy innuendos,
reckless assumptions…
Copyright ©️ 2020 Tebogo Ndlovu
we all love a good cage.
purposeful fingers maneuvering gently through hair
crisp, clean sheets
in bedrooms shrouded by curtains so dark it’s night even when it’s day
pink lace/satin power moves
nails long enough to say “pretty/naughty”
short enough to remain apart from “too much”
strength loving hard with (brave) heart
versus obvious entitlement
– omnipresent undertones of possession
gilded cages
where people coo “mine…” ever so often
scams nicknamed “relationship”
cherishable things.
Copyright ©️ 2020 Tebogo Ndlovu
Don’t fall for the saint
the one who serves, pleases,
begs forgiveness, forgives
before they understand the crime;
the one who offers their all,
their soul, ‘crosses oceans’ for you,
turns their back on loyal friends
and true family
to satisfy your every whim.
Don’t fall for the one
who places you above themselves
the one always there,
faithful, never-ceasing, ever-enduring,
ready to subtly wave their sacrifices
and bloody altars in your face
whenever your ‘I’m grateful’
leaves something to be desired.
Don’t fall for the saint
who forgets who they are
– all in your name
breathes first and foremost for you
seems to have no identity
outside of you,
the one claiming to love another
when they see no worth in themselves.
Don’t fall for the one
who diminishes the value of joy
for the cause of grandiose love,
could kill for that sacred tenet…
But then again
Theirs is the kind of love you crave,
dear friend, is it not?
Nevermind that it easily turns
into hate, blind rage,
vehement demands for reparations.
A smitten sacrificial lamb’s devotion
– with a side of witty humour,
finessed and coated with a dash of charisma –
is the love you crave
Prayers go up petitioning
that saints will not be the death of you.
Copyright ©️ 2020 Tebogo Ndlovu
Take me to infinity
The end of hope, beginning of faith
Inevitabilities plus certainties
Versus half truths, minus bygones
that haunt stubbornly
Take me to happily ever after
And may we never reach
Once upon a time.
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Copyright © 2011 – 2020 Tebogo Ndlovu
Heat.
…like a warm meal after spending hours
caught out on a snowy night
You are the comfort of a summer sun
when the rest of the world is hanging on
through a bad winter
The wonder of hot water
crawling through frozen toes.
You are like the sound of cracking bones
during a much-needed stretch at sunset
The cat purring against my legs
when he’s happy and fed
The unexpected laughter of a friend
When I wasn’t trying to be funny
The darling place we crawl,
Into which we take our loved ones
When the world is promising to end.
You are every good moment,
deliciously plain yet fleeting.
Understood only after it is gone.
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2011 – 2020 Tebogo Ndlovu
