There are oceans inside
that well and bubble –
the heat emanating from these tectonic bones
have caused beads of resentment to form
and surface, enveloping any semblance of calm
from the outer world.
There is no siren song that can quell this vitriolic wind,
no lunar eclipse that can temper this rising tide,
no solar cycle that can obscure the myriad of lies
born from the storm’s eye.
There are oceans inside
that still meet in the deepest South,
where two oceans wage war –
two equal yet opposing forces.
So, what is to become of me if neither side decides to part?
What is to become of you if either side continues their fight?
There are rocks,
and these rocks,
which we have wrecked ourselves upon,
are the hard places
that have shaped the odyssey that is
you and I.
So, what is to become of us if neither side decides to lay down their masts?
Can we return to being separate oceans?
Or are we destined to become two ships passing in the dark?
Retshepisitswe ‘Promise’ Makhatha was born in Mthatha, Eastern Cape. Currently teaching English in Ningbo, China, his works appear in Poetry Potion, Ningbo Focus Magazine, The Kalahari Review, Ons Klyntji, Praxis Magazine Online, Stanzas, and Poetry Super Highway.