Do they see us
With gold-framed and rose-tinted glasses?
We’re dust to them,
When we stand, our poverty rises into view; our voices sound within earshot.
We stain their black suits brown,
With our complaints and the troubles from where we’ve been laying.
Living below the means, they’ve walked all over us, kicked up a dust storm,
And their promises no longer keep us at bay.
Blind them, raise our voices, and stand till all they see is us.
When we stand, they will answer us.
Manqoba is an upcoming poet with a passion for writing and performing poetry. From Emalahleni. Their focus is on creating poetry that aims to empower, encourage, heal, and serve as a point of reflection on personal, social, cultural, and global levels.