How many times did he put out your fire
by unleashing his waters on you
when you had every reason, to bite it off?
Just how did you keep it together
when they were out to dismantle you
like sharks, biting off a piece they desired?
but still, your centre could hold
the wheel from falling apart
and kept it rolling
How did you persuade yourself
into loving the beastly bundle inside you
that ate you from your insides every day
and all it sang were reminders
of that day?
Just… how did you keep me breathing?
When did you grow out of their pot
stepped into your own big high heels
outgrew culture and tradition itself?
How did you keep on smiling when the taste
of the concoction was so bitter?
Will you teach my daughter, one day,
when the time comes, how to remain
powerful and unbreakable
just like you?
Mlondi Kwasa kaNdlovu is an environmental science student, fascinated by words as much as human environments. He is dawn and a son of a mother.