You’re a match
That could never carry a flame
Not because it’s wet
Because it’s not tenacious enough
It doesn’t understand that carrying a flame
Allows it to be most alive
I wondered about your kind
Unaware of their purpose
Squandering their time with destiny
Rejecting the opportunity for edification
Choosing to remain obscure
In the dark
Timid
Lifeless
I wondered how you enjoy anything
When you’re so afraid of everything
Unwilling to try
It is painful to watch
When one sleeps
On what could be the best version of themselves
Patience Labane is a poet from Bloemfontein. She is part of the Radioactive poetry collective, a writer as well as a student.