Echoes in the Chamber by Khumo Gaji

Let the sound of my voice ripple across empty halls

Let it climb walls,
creep through corners,
and settle in the shadows where silence hides.

Let it speak what my hands cannot,
what my eyes refuse to show,
a truth that trembles
between the pulse of thought and breath.

When I whisper, does the world listen,
or does it simply fold me into its noise?
When I shout, does it shatter the quiet,
or echo only back my own longing?

The sound of my voice
is both key and lock,
a map drawn in trembling air,
a place I leave,
and a place I cannot return.

From Cape Town, South Africa, Khumo Gaji is a writer and student. Khumo developed a passion for poetry as a means of self-expression while pursuing a degree in Chartered Accounting at the University of Cape Town. Poetry is still the most authentic means for him to express his feelings and thoughts, even though he is not a professional writer. He writes in mainly free verse and uses reflective storytelling to capture silent moments, unsaid emotions, and the complexity of life as a whole.