The Devil we all know
Stares back at me in the mirror
With glazed over glass button eyes
of black and grey and white
The Devil we all know
Lives within us all
A faded, bitter remnant
Of the glory seen before the fall
Lucifer no longer strikes the match of enlightenment
But rather extinguishes the light of revelation
And lead us on, and leads us down
The route of our damnation…
Where at the dawn we were born and drawn
Like moths to the flames of truth, and love –
Love transcending erotic distraction and chemical attractions –
But rather true love – love unfettered
By the chains of conditions and expectations
The love a mother has for a child
The love that a brother has for his brother –
Even though the resemblance is near-invisible
Their bond is near-indivisible
For they are one
The Devil we know is a feeling
He’s there when we don’t get along
When we refuse to tune in to the music
That has been in mankind for so long
The music that binds and entwines us
The music that makes us ‘come together’
And makes us feel, live, and love as one
For although we are broken and separate
When we all come together we’re strong
The Devil I know is wicked
The Devil I know is a beast
But the Devil I know is defeated
When we all start to move to the beat
The rhythm of the most primal of tribal drums
Transcending race, space, gender and time
This beat that I call Africa
Beats in this heart of mine
The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb
So let us covenant together,Bafuwhetu
Let us stand as one
Too much blood has flowed between us
But the song is yet unsung
So let us raise our voices
Let the music come
‘Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrica’
Let the music ring
And let us kill that Devil
The Devil that lives within…
Andre Labuschagne is a poet, musician and youth minister from Johannesburg. Andre and his wife, Tess, live in a cosy little flat with their daschund Chloe, and they try and make a daily difference in the lives of those around them.
He has been writing poetry for a number of years, but has yet to find a publisher that suits his voice. Growing up in the church and having studied Theology, religious imagery and moral themes are often found in his work although the main theme of his poetry will always be the exploration of the deeper self and our purpose here in the universe.