Friendship Gone Awry Poem by Niki Nicholas Nkuna

My mouth wide open,
My eyes popping out as if they will shoot out of my goddam skull,
Shocked, surprised and confused,
I balanced my lower jaw with my natural hammer,
My eyes fixed on the climaxed part of a horror film,
This is all because I've just heard the most outrageous words,
Uttered by none other than my best friend!

My head reeling and steering furiously at the pot of tidings,
Trying to unravel the craziness behind my friend's outlandish comment,
Nonchalant, mocking face, he relished the spectre before him,
I felt myself perishing like a melting steel caricature in a film,
My eyes sagged, allowing blood to drip hot steel drops,
Peaceful conversation, suddenly cut out of breath and silenced,
Bitterness and tension, reign supreme,
The road ahead, sours like the dull and dusty road,
That branched out of a tarred road and torpedoed into a farm,

Tomorrow's a different day,
And my friend is beside himself with fake regret,
Deep down, satisfied I felt it where it hurts the most,
The curtains were wide open, the sky as clear as the mind untroubled,
My friend has to come out clean out of the surprise,
Lest I adopt it and spring it on him too,


‘Sorry, I did not think, before I uttered those words,
I'm like a snake at times, '
‘Spitting venom aimlessly, '
‘And hurt myself out of the hole, '
The hole is cold as a result, no blanket to snuggle,
Faeces all over, the stink is unbearable,
‘I lost a best friend by thinking after the puke, '
‘Now I know, thinking comes before the puke, '

My head is bulging out of the thorny thoughts,
Suffering from the migraine of hurt by words,
My friend's regret, shallow like rain puddle on a tarred road,
The mirage blinding the countenance for forgiveness,
The words of hurt flaming in my heart and mind,
Perturbing my thoughts to be otherwise,

NN 10/03/12