After days spent on the run, being hunted down,
tired, we returned, again, to our hometown,
where we hid the little boxes with the small things:
gifts, prayers, spells, songs, crowns, cloaks, rings…
Refreshing our faces in the fountains of memory,
washing our bruises clean of the pain and treachery,
stuffing our daily rituals into our bras and socks,
confirming our next meet and setting our clocks.
Filling up our bellies and water bottles, saying goodbye,
mounting our brooms and setting off into the sky.
Trying to avoid the eyes of the inquisitions men.
Not knowing when we’d see each other again.
Charl Landsberg is a South African poet who’s work focuses on a broad array of issues, including feminism, queer rights issues, anti-racism, and sometimes a little science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction.