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Nomkhumbulwa May 2021
Written for “uncle “ and his family

I’m not part of the family
Not connected by blood
I know I’m an outsider
Might not behave as I should

I’m not in a position
To say much here
It’s not my place to take over
I’m privileged to be here

But I just wish to say
That I do share your sorrow
Even given the short time I’ve been here
I really do feel your sorrow

I don’t feel it the same
For it’s not my place
But I’d got so used to uncle
Seeing his friendly face

He could always smile
Even when in so much pain
He had patience, was happy
He would barely complain

He enjoyed my baking
I’m glad that he did
For it’s a way to give back
As he gave me somewhere to live

I could see how much
The cars meant to him
A life without being able to drive
Would be a life so grim

At 83, this kept him going
He lived for his cars
With help yes maybe
I could see him fixing engines

He was always polite
Not a bad word for anyone
He rarely asked for help
Even when he was struggling

We all got used to seeing
Uncle struggle every day
But he kind of struggled happily
Perhaps to help the pain go away

So it came as a shock
For this reason alone
We think people will go on forever
Forgetting about their bones

For me at least
I can say I was shocked
I hadn’t taken notice
If he’d recently been more sick

One day he was fine
The next not so good
But this wasn’t unusual
He would bounce back, he always did

But this time he didn’t
None of us prepared
For the devastating news
When uncle’s death was shared

We all have regrets
When somebody dies
For me of course I do, uncle
I regret not spending more time with you

I appreciate your friendly face
I think everyone did
I will remember you smiling
You even had time for the kids

I’m sorry about the maize
That I grew right outside your house
I’d forgotten it would get that tall!
You had a forest outside your house!

You saw me struggle with the garden
Even offered to buy me more hosepipe!
Of course I didn’t expect this
But the thought shows how you wanted to help

You told me I was going the wrong way
I was trying t avoid soaking your feet
Why was I going so far?
When you were happy to move your feet!

I have many fond memories
But for now I just want to say
I do miss you uncle
I wasn’t prepared for that day

You have a wonderful family
Who have made sure things go well
I’ve never seen people work so hard
As your family, preparing for the funeral

I hope you can hear me
And see how much you are valued
For me the place will never be
The same, without uncle and his Volvos

But you are no longer in pain
Looked at peace when I saw you
I wish you the rest you deserve
Hamba khalhe uncle, rest in Peace- we love you

🙏
Nomkhumbulwa Apr 2021
That I don’t like me,
I don’t know me,
I don’t want to be me,
I don’t want anyone to see me

The self is ugly
Shameful, stupid
Complete lack of respect
I now have regret

They were right
What they said about me
On St Helena
My entire family

I only want pain
To punish myself
I am so stupid
And selfish but lacking a self

Why am I like this?
That I don’t know
But I do know I’m like this
How I got here I don’t know

Spiteful and hateful
Lacking respect
It’s not all about me
Why do I make it seem like that?

I’ve realised I hate me
But it’s not something new
I have such disgust, no empathy
For myself- I’m just cruel

I am cruel to others
I have no respect
I’m lazy and unhelpful
Why do I get so upset?

Was my mother right?
Or did she make me like this?
Perhaps I am becoming her
In my face was her fist

I want her to hit me
I want her here now
I need the abuse
To remind me, I can’t spell

I want to feel the beating
The words stabbing
I need to be punished
For I am failing

I’m a failed person
I have nothing but shame
For dragging good people
Through such pain

I don’t want to speak
I just want to hide
I don’t belong on this earth
Have my cat always by my side

Yes I am a witch
And witches need cats
I make herbal concoctions
I even own a broomstick

No one should hear my voice
For I only bring pain
Lack of understanding
How cruel can I be, causing pain

But why do some people like me?
Am I not being genuine?
How do I let them see
Who I really am within

I only bring misery and
Offend those around me
It’s true I’m a burden
A burden on society

I don’t belong anywhere
In this realm or the next
I don’t belong anywhere
I’m not human, I’m something else

They describe me as fragile
So why don’t I break?
Shatter into pieces
Wash down the drain to the lake

When will I snap?
Completely out of my mind?
How much more will it take?
While I burden mankind

I don’t know what’s wrong
But it needs to stop
My mother should be here
To hurt me, send me into shock

I don’t wish to be with her
I just want to feel pain
The pain she inflicted
How she did this to my brain ?

Why do I want it?
I don’t know
Perhaps there’s something
Inside me that I don’t know

I am a living lie
I’ve caused death and despair
I deserve the beating
Feel my blood trickle to my ear

I have no self confidence
No sense of self worth
But why should I?
These are things set up for me since birth

But I do know my cat
His name is Timmy
He’s always by my side
He is my family

He is a sentient being
Intelligent and loving
He will show his disgust
To anyone who might hurt him

He stands his ground
Catches rats for me
Yes he is part of the family
Vermin control a necessity

Nhlanhla and Nomhle
Mosa, Lufuno,
They all love him too,
He is well known it’s true

He speaks no English
But we get each other
We have a deep connection
To Mother Earth, she’s our mother

We share the same planet
We eat the same food
We get scared by some people
We hide, we don’t move

We don’t like loud noises
we’re sensitive to smells
We spend a lot of time sleeping
We can’t always reach the bathroom

His chromosomes differ to mine
But that’s all there is
We are both mammals
With a “brain”, heart, lungs, kidneys.....

Today I saw another animal
While I was at Mofolo
Slim with a slightly curled tail
I still don’t know what it is

Would it be my friend like Timmy?
Perhaps not, it’s probably wild
But at one time we all were
Wild and unaccustomed to each other

I fully trust Timmy
He can get angry of course
But I see the warning
He lets me know before it’s worse

Even his prey are predictable
I know they eat my vegetables
They never surprise me
They just do what rats do, you see

My other brain is fully switched on
Rethabile wanted to see it switched on,
But I don’t know how long it will last
Whether by Wednesday these thoughts have passed

It tells me to hurt me
It tells me to hate me
It wants to destroy me
Mentally and physically

Scratch out my eyes
Draw blood and bleed
Keep cutting, slicing,
Stabbing, make me bleed

Until the pain is enough
Keep ripping apart
My body, all of it
Tear it apart

Pull out my hair
Beat my head
There is nothing in it
I need to beat my head

Until I’m on the floor
I must beat and beat me
Keep causing pain
Draw blood till I’m drained to the core

I want to tear off my face
Cut off my limbs
Slash my stomach wide open
See the blood gush, everything open

I don’t deserve to be here
I don’t want to be here
Therefore there’s not much point
In keeping me here

People use their time
To sit with an idiot like me
A complete waste and disgrace,
A burden on society

Conclusion..... Ngikathele futhi I am a burden on society..
All society.

Nomkhumbulwa.... disgusted with myself **
Nomkhumbulwa Apr 2021
Words mumbled,
If any at all.
Staring at nothing,
If anything at all

Sunken red eyes,
Unable to focus,
Slumped over the chair,
**** pungent in the air

I hardly see you
We hardly speak
And when I try
You’re too tired to speak

You sit on the street
Drinking with friends
I’ve no problem with that
If only I could see you at weekends

I know you work hard
You deserve the rest too
For me it’s chocolate
Cannabis for you

But you’re one of many
Nearly all my friends smoke
Yet we still communicate
We can laugh, we can joke

They can still see me,
They notice me here
No matter the ****,
No matter the beer

But do you see me?
Am I just in the way?
I feel so alone
Even when you’re here all day

No communication
No conversation
Staring and smoking
Then blanket over the head sleeping

You awake snorting loudly
Giving me a fright
It doesn’t seem to bother you
In the middle of the night

I’m not really here
It’s like I’m a ghost
You look straight through me
Then go for a smoke

The body is limp
The mind unfocused
Hardly able to smile
Ignore what I suggest

I cannot change you
I get it, it’s you
You are inseparable
**** is number one for you

It’s not up for discussion
Should I ask you smoke less
It is just so insulting
To try change someone else

Just to cut down
One less joint a day,
I might see the person
Hidden by the smoke and haze

Is it my fault?
Am I making you like this?
I sincerely hope not
For us both it’s a loss

Do you still know me?
When can we talk?
Or enjoy time together
Just in the park

Or is this just it?
How it has to be
Is this how we live?
Us who don’t smoke ****

I live with a shell
An empty smoke filled case
Not interested in me
I can tell by the long drawn face

Is there anything inside?
Are you there at all?
How much longer do I wait?
What am I waiting for?

Do you still know me?
Or am I just a “thing “
I cannot stop your ****
That would be classed as a sin

Everything I ask
Is repeated ten times
Over and over and over
You still cannot take it in

Is this how we live?
If living is what this is
Or am I being too sensitive ?
About how you seem to live with your friends

But they are watching tv
I think you are too
Only to discover at 2am
You’re sleeping, passed out in the studio

It is clear to me now
That I matter the least
You have to please your friends
Even as I cook and you eat

Why do I want communication?
Is it a failure in me?
I just feel like there’s nothing
It’s even a chore for you to make me a tea

I mention the idea
Of spending time together
But it’s taken as an insult
Depriving you of your friends, together

We do our own things
That’s healthy I know
But to spend time together
It’s a chore, so much effort, I know

This is the end,
The relationship passed
Stuck here without you
While the **** takes all of you

You live for the ****
I know that is true,
If you had to choose between us
The **** would win, it’s true

It consumes your life
I guess that’s how it is
But is this it for me?
Do I marry someone who doesn’t see me?

I do get confused
As you expect me at night
After ignoring me all day,
How will I do things at night?

Surely for such intimacy
A relationship comes first
Or perhaps it’s just me,
Wanting what I don’t deserve

You’re not here Tsietsi
You make noises, not talk
The words make no sense
I might as well speak to a wall

I’m not trying to be cruel
I’m not anti ****
The last thing I want to do is control,
To take away what people need

But I’m confused and tired
Yet I’m never enough
I try to cook, grow veggies,
It’s still, still not enough

The relationship to you has meaning
Very different to that of mine
Washing the dishes, removing weeds,
Is the level of connection we enjoy

Is that enough for you?
That I’m just here to cook?
To sit silently, without you
Not trying to talk

Is this how it’s meant to be?
A life without you, only me?
A woman is to marry
But a woman is not to see

Or perhaps it’s just me?
Should I smoke **** too?
Am I mistaken?
We don’t need communication?

I say goodbye, not leaving,
I just know you’re no longer here,
I will carry on
While you keep the **** and beer

Goodbye Tsietsi.....,,, let me know when you wake up **
Apologies I’m new
Nomkhumbulwa Aug 2020
Reflecting.....

As the pace of life slows
To protect my health
I sit here reflecting
For I can’t do much else

The global situation
On all our minds
Surreal as it is
The Earth is doing fine

I sit here listening
To the sounds of Soweto
Wondering if there’s anyone else
Like me.... locked down in Soweto

Luck it may have been
I consider myself lucky still
I wouldn’t want to be stuck anywhere else
What a story I now have to tell

There is hardship and struggle
Even for us every day
Yet there is also love... beauty...
Something so special to be here to “stay”

I’m no tourist
But still I feel unique
I wonder... is there anyone else?
Anyone else like me?

I feel I belong
I always have
But now this feelings deeper
I forget I’m not local infact!

It’s only when I sit here
And think, everything still
That I remember I’m different
Yet I’m treated like a local

I have become a Sowetan
And it didn’t start this year
It’s been happening slowly
The township adopted me, year after year

People are varied
Some are illegal
Yet, as written in the constitution
This country belongs to all

I love South Africa
But not all of it’s the same
It’s here in Soweto
Here - I got a new name

I don’t feel any different
To others around me
I have become one of them
But still wonder..... is there anyone else like me?

Getting stuck here was a blessing
How things fall into place!
Although no one anticipated COVID
Being in Soweto puts a smile on my face

I feel it’s almost sacred
To find myself here
During this global pandemic
I’ve been “protected “ it’s clear

I’m here for a reason
That has been proven to me
And whatever the reason
... it was just meant to be

I “belong “ here in Soweto
There IS no one like me
I am now a Sowetan
...just as it was “meant to be”

Ngiyabonga beautiful people **
Forgive me I’m new **
Nomkhumbulwa Jun 2020
These are hard times for everyone,
But I know my Biology;
Yet I do feel somewhat “odd”,
How can that be?

I have friends in Pimville,
Kliptown, Orlando too;
And although I can use a phone,
Sometimes I don't want to 🙁

Who am I becoming??
What is happening to me?
I have winter clothes now, and food,
And a large adopted family

Why do I now feel so strange?
I can't even explain how;
I kind of feel “less off a person”
Look down on myself….hide as well…

I feel like I've done something wrong,
Yet have no idea what that is;

I hope I haven't upset anyone,
Maybe I have…and just don't know who it is…

I feel like not moving,
Hiding here in this room;
Not because it feels safer,
But so that I can do no harm.

People are so kind and caring,
Then I look at myself;
What is wrong with me??
Why can I not trust myself ?

I feel this general “sadness”
A darkness of sorts in my mind;
But im afraid to blame the depression,
For i feel unworthy of my mind…

Its getting hard to get up,
Though every time I wake how im glad;
Disturbing nightmares all night long,
But I wake up then im tired

I get frustrated sometimes with people,
Those around me, its stupid I know;
I dont want to be a bad person,
But that is what it shows

I dont know what is wrong with me,
But I think I now know the cause;
A massive fear of the unknown,
Going back to Scotland…for the worse?

I will await Silo’s return to work,
He helps me with each phone call;
He has done so much to reassure me,
Yet I feel undeserving of it all.

I don't know whats wrong with me,
I hold my head in shame;
my mind telling me to cut,
That I deserve that pain…

I try to resist it now,
mainly for those around me;
When I do work im with children,
And I don't want them to see

Plus I have Silo to help me,
Assuring me Ive done nothing bad;
That im not a burden on this Country,
And that it is ok to feel “sad”

I know where it comes from,
I know I've repeated this too;
Im worried I don't know myself,
As this period of lockdown about to move…

None of us know whats going on,
We can only be guided by research;
scientists doing their best to provide,
Statistics, clinical trials, the genome sequences..

What is wrong with me?
It was getting better before;
Not before Corona….
Before this dark cloud came to my door.

I was doing everything I could,
Yet now I still feel its not enough;
I feel lazy, ashamed, a burden…
Why am I tired, with no work?!?!

I tell myself perhaps its the cold,
The change in season too;
But deep in my mind I know
The cause….I know its true…

Its Doctor Bryan Hart,
Yes he’s still here in my head,
Silo tries repeatedly to remove him,
And the words he implanted in my head.

He just wont go away,
He took everything from me;
My friends, family, dignity,
Even my sense of sanity.

I still doubt myself daily,
Wondering if any of its true;
I feel I HAVE to find out,
To be able to be free…

Im scared that when I go back
The whole thing will start again,
I will be a burden on society,
A waste of money, time, a nobody

The time is drawing closer,
Although I don't know for sure when;
things are slowly reopening,
Just as they should, this cant go on.

But im scared, I think thats it,
Scared that soon i’ll be back;
In the land where nobody wants me,
A land where nobody trusts me…

Of course I don't want to be selfish,
even thinking this way makes me feel bad;
Im just scared, just scared of the future,
…scared i’ll go back to the past…

I sometimes get darker thoughts too,
But im not wanting to share with you;
I’ll wait, see what Silo says,
I’ll see what he thinks I should do…

I found someone to trust,
Someone in the health sector (!),
I do trust him still….
I’ll await his return and give him a call….

I dont like me……I just don't like me…..
Nomkhumbulwa **
im new sorry
Nomkhumbulwa Apr 2020
It doesn't come as a surprise,
Of course life’s always a struggle;
But with Coronavirus too,
The struggle is only more real.

Suffering is not new,
Nor hunger, or poverty;
Yet more than ever
People now see the reality.

Coronavirus not the biggest risk,
yet its presence here is still deadly;
With an Economy crumbling to pieces,
We all wonder what will happen to this Country?

Though numbers are low,
Compared to the first World,
Collateral damage is devastating,
With the lockdown, the situation deteriorating.

We sit here, we wait,
Watch the news at nine,
For its impossible here
To be online all the time.

Some people are scared,
Some people don't care;
Or perhaps its more a case
Of being used to living in fear.

Queues are miles long,
Yet these people are lucky;
For many there is now dire hunger,
Food parcels not reaching the poor.

The Government is doing its best,
To limit the effects of this virus,
On the health of society,
But perhaps more, on the dying economy.

Inequalities are not new,
But now they are stark and real;
The rich minority at relative ease,
The rest of the Country diseased…

People die here all the time,
The health system stretched as it is;
So how do we tell these people,
They need to go hungry to live?

With untreated disease already a burden,
Coronavirus alone is not such a risk;
But what it does do
Is creates yet more poverty and sick.

People are trying to understand
What is happening in the World;
But for most the World is far…
That World is now affecting this World…

For us, neither rich or poor,
A rare case of “in the middle;,
We are able to grow vegetables,
Write music, get to the clinic.

We also watch in horror
At those suffering now even more,
For those in informal settlements,
Social distancing is just not possible.

People are going without,
Trying to live on one meal a day;
Or going to bed hungry,
Feeding their children instead, as they continue to pray.

People here live day by day,
Earning just enough to buy bread;
With this now taken away,
They’re desperate, and some are dead.

Not due to this virus,
But death still continues;
Beaten to death by the Army,
At home, with their families….

The situation here is dire,
This Country far from developed;
The poverty, the hunger, the desperate,
No water in taps in some districts.

The situation here is dire,
I cannot lie or pretend it’ll all be fine;
people are suffering all around me
And yet all I can do is …..stay at home.

I sit here writing this helpless,
Able to teach, if it was possible for those to learn;
I feel the desperation of parents,
Education in this land must go on.

But as for now
We are either “stopped in time”, or desperate;
How the schools will eventually cope
Is anyones guess.

People need food,
People need school,
people need help,
But…..people have not lost hope.

As for myself
I write, and I plan some more;
Hoping that one day soon,
I’ll be able to help a lot more….

……Nomkhumbulwa…….
Apologies im still new ;)
Nomkhumbulwa Mar 2020
I was beginning to know who I am,
Or so I thought until now;
But now im thinking again
…..do I really know who I am?

I thought myself a good person,
Though this thought comes and goes;
But now im not so certain
Am I someone you should know?

I feel like im under performing,
Stupid, and over reacting;
As Coronavirus reached our shores
Perhaps everyone is over reacting

I look on at the rest of the world,
Most Countries affected 1st world;
For South Africa the danger is greater,
Yet others say we’re not in the world…

Do they now understand?
Or is it me being pathetic?
Im not mocking these countries
I know life must be hectic

But is it wrong to be worried?
Although our case load is small,
For with a huge *** burden
The case load surely wont stay small

Here people struggle each day,
The economy fails more and more;
Yet we need to pick up the pieces
We need to do this for all

This is not a time to be greedy,
Solidarity and compassion a must,
There wasn't any money before…..
But now finding it is a must…

Though numbers are low right now,
200 overnight to 750,
With densely populated areas of deep poverty
The spread must be contained immediately

Yes, the measures we’re taking are drastic,
But the worry and fear is real,
If this should enter our townships
Its too late…too many will fall ill

Our poor rural people are vulnerable
The mass communication campaign not accessible
What will happen to these people?
To forget about them is just cruel

I dont think its a time for mocking
Or laughing at us here in SA;
For if we don't act, the risk is far greater,
affecting millions, more than the UK

Sometimes I look forward to isolation
But not from the people here,
Rather from the ignorance online,
To help me keep things clear

No one even sees im stuck here,
Not that I wish to leave;
But just knowing people are unaware
…of the disruption here by this disease…

I have faith in the Country to act,
They have witnessed mistakes made by others,
Yet never once did we mock them
For these are people- our sisters and brothers

I care deeply for this country,
So distance myself I may;
From the cruel internet entirely,
….Thats all I have to say…

……………………..Nomkhumbulwa
Sorry....im new
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