(16 Days of No Violence Against Pam)
I love you
But I’m scared of you
I thought
I might need a friend
To help me stay in love with you
Would you beat me up
If I should stop loving you?
I need just that assurance
Why does love taste
Like a trajedy in the making?
Your inner doubts and fears
Living all these years
A debt of gratitude paid in tears
I trugde along
But my heart is surely sinking
Precious moments gone to waste
… and your friends
Looking at you/ me/ us askance
With a sullen look & a swollen black eye
That says I told you so
But I’ve never ever raised my hand
Never ever touched you
Against your will
Will you hug me now
I a waif waiting at your door
Little white girl
Offering a sandwich shaped
Like a human heart
Mbongeni Khumalo: Author of the poetry collection Apocrypha