I listen to the songs I wrote
Lyrics meant to stir the soul
And it definitely did just that
Awakened things I hadn’t felt
And made it cold as facts
I listen to the songs I wrote you
But cassette tapes unravel
And CD’s get scratches
And even digital platforms decay…
Music was our language.
But we don’t talk anymore.
There are no more melodies
No more untapped symphonies
No more breakbeats booming
in this heart of mine
The music is dead
and lost in the sands of time.
The strings are broken
The instruments are out of tune
Now I don’t know how I feel
Or if I even ever felt
The way I think I felt about you
The songs that played
here in my heart
The intervals feel so far apart
Like staggered notes
In black and white
No color left in it
To ignite
the spark of inspiration
I sparked a different conversation
And burnt it all to the ground.
Andre Darius Labuschagne is a poet, musician, and pastor from Johannesburg, South Africa. He is currently involved with various church movements – and his theological and philosophical beliefs are reflected in his poems. A recovering drug addict, his poetry also explores themes of mental illness, substance abuse, finding God, and the process of growing towards completeness.