Take A Walk In My Shoes Poem by tawanda omphile plaatjie

Take a walk in my shoes
Infact let me take you down a path, seatbelt on
And please, keep the shoes on

It is everybody`s story
Nothing special about it
But someone has to tell it

Raise your hand if you have gone hungry for a night
I’m not talking about going hungry for a diet
Don’t be shy, I have both my hands up
You see I have gone hungry for a night,
infact make that two nights, and not just once
The third night she wouldn’t let it go on though,
this plump pillar of strength

Close your eyes and let me ignite your imagination model c
Smoke smells from everywhere
Neighbors looking over their walls to see this fire that has broken out
Ready to make emergency calls
What they see is a sorry sight in their eyes, but an act of love in mine
Love that only I will ever truly understand
There in the middle of a yard without those prestigious walls, she made a fire
Preparing supper for her children, supper that boasts nothing of that balanced diet they tell us about,
Just a pot of porridge to fill our stomachs until the next day when she makes another plan

Exaggeration you say
Then you might want to flip on to other pages, for something more cheerful
You see she is to you just another subject someone wrote about
To me she is the best gift I have ever received

My mother the counselor, her degree in counseling obtained from the school of life
Time and time she reminded me
You are beautiful, never mind what they call you
Mokwerekwere is not even a word, you my daughter are exotic
Yes finally many of you understand where it comes from

My mother the doctor, between my brother and I getting hurt over the years, she had no choice but to master the science of medicine
I cannot tell you the number of trees I have climbed up and down, always bringing home a souvenir
Be it a scratch or a broken arm

My mother the lawyer
This particular degree I believe I forced her into, but she let herself be schooled anyway, just so she could protect me
I could go on and on about her million professions, but my favourite of all
My mother, the mother
If I ever amount to half the woman she is
I will die with a full smile

How are those shoes feeling on your feet?
You can take them off now, and let me wear your shoes
Tell me about your mother