Nokuthula Nene Poem by Adorn Keketso

I was the sight of the soul that lived in a prison
Darkened by illusions of the world thought I could kiss the moon
Noon passed and days needed pills to cure my sanity
All I could see and smell was the scent of darkness
My soul trapped in the darkness of a cheap coffin
Death came naked calling upon me like a dark angel
I smoked weed trying to salvage my sanity
But flowers don't only grow on fertile soil
They said wild seeds don't grow but a loving hand lifted me out of the abyss
What was breathed in the rose to wake up to the calling of the sun
To break open and dance to the rhythm of bees
Was breathed in my lungs and hope became a seed planted in my life
My dying flesh responded to the calling therapy became meditation
Conversations over night with a soul displaced by distance
Only present spiritually the cosmic connected us and our world became one
She became the moon I became the sun
She breathed and my heart learnt to breathe again
Healing is difficult they say but it's just a feeling I say
Saving one's sanity is difficult as demons always call upon one to embrace death
"Take one day at a time, take one step a time" she said
I felt drops of cosmic water drop on my tongue to quench my thirsty soul
Thirsty to live and touch feel the smell of life and kiss hope again
Doctors called it depression but it was more spiritual
Maybe a calling but unemployment and high rate of alcohol
Were also quoted as the main perpetrators
But my heart was my only enemy envying this and that
Only to blunder on the realization that reality is realier than fart
Spirituals said I needed to consult with the dead
Only to realise blood was not the only sin needed to be washed
Cleansing preceded by cleansings calling my ancestors names
Night came, day came. Night came, day came - Prayer was all I could afford
Songs became another pill I took to turn and toss the buried bones of my ancestors
I sang when I was broken and danced in my own blood
But a healing hand made me realise all mortals will taste the bitterness of death
But only a few who dare to live will taste the sweet scent of life