For all that beauty barely complete
And those feelings excessively discreet
For that temperament seemingly basic
A smile? Oh what dearth and defeat!
For these and all those things that aren't
I will love 100%

The figure I scarcely behold
The name too old to be told
The dimples create a tempting fold
From which he must be controlled
But why am I moved? Heaven sent!
I will love 100%

Heart pounding ever fast
Eyes down! All shame is cast
Must I love or must I forget
I will destroy and then beget
Then when all my guilt is spent
I will love 100%

Your smooth hands nursed me
Your kind heart loved me
Your strong arms guarded me
Your bright mind thought of me

My heart deeply longs for you
My mind can't stop thinking of you
My eyes are dying to behold you
My arms can't wait to embrace you

You were taken away so swiftly
No last words, no last embrace
Why was the end wrought hastily?
Why didn't I atleast see your face?

There is hope a hundred fold
Hope for something we greatly desire
There is hope for a love untold
That it will yield what others will greatly admire
So the thing to do is to pray
That God will show and guide the way
For if white roses become red
Then a greater love has been bred
But bright flowers grow by a bright light
So that their growth can be prolonged in a darkened night
When comedians make audiences snigger
When trees from mustards become bigger
So it's not a thing anymore of grit
Nor to surrender to one's wit
But it's a thing purely of the divine
For in the end, that love will be yours and mine!

You gave my life the brightness of light
You dispelled with your touch the substance of night
My heart absorbed the fervour you displayed
And that beauty in your eyes had me thoroughly compelled.

Heaven's now filled with comedy
No history nor tragedy
For heaven's known for the better
A place that never grows old
You partook naught of the nether
So in the former, we shall you behold
But, alas, you were gone so fast
Before our generation could spring to this crust
We miss you but not what you wrote
For in your writings, our pleasures are got
Now you have heaven for a fairest stage
No critics, no death, no tempest rage
So choose your plays carefully
That divine merry may last eternally
And when every Saint an actor you know
Send us on earth some scripts to show

I was imbued with sentiments of a most prime birth
I was struck to the bone and further to the heart
It was as if the purple curtains had come down,
On that still Monday morning of May
For, so were we actors in that play
And now, she's gifted me with the fairest crown

Though unnerved by emotion,
It was a bright and lovely day
The pain and all the devotion,
And the moments that we paused to pray
For that, no storm couldn't we abide
And so did we tread side by side

Now I sit here staring into a lifetime,
Filled with hope, joy and bliss.
I wouldn't trade for any a dime
A friendship as marvelous as this.
So, gladly do we toast to a thousand years -
To the ethereal, beyond mars and the stars

They curtail his flight
Yet he's near the first heaven
He starts to see the light
But the chills leave him frozen
He drops down to the earth
And despair fills his heart
He resolves to start again
And his efforts are blessed by the rain

By Pollux! By Castor! By Jupiter!
By all those things that reigned over pagan men
Thou art alike those deities I fear
Shall I thence swear by thy name?

Consume me as a fire
If thou art wholly divine
Lest may this flaming desire
Free my heart from thine!

Those four walls were his companions
So darkness was the result.
In that world were many unknowns
And many a thing to worry about.

The purple curtain closed when he bowed his head to the crowd
And the last tear coursed lazily upon his cheek
His sorrows were - as the applause of the crowd - loud
And so was the blood that from his heart was soon to leak

If ever you are to fall
I will be tither to hold you
If  ever at dawn you call
I'll rise to you like the sunbathed dew
Close your eyes then, and imagine this
A life of love and unending bliss!!

Come forth dark night
And extinguish all features of light
I have sought the latter with delight
But I’m enfeebled by your might!

His pillow absorbs all his tears
His bed is as it were a cushion to his fears
The dormant curtains shut out all the light
And in his heart, the time is night!

Dark and dull is her every day,
For fear and disorder crown her daily fray.
She dreads the approach of every night,
When her closed eyes shut out all the light.
In her mind, the horrific scenes are replayed,
And the memories of that night leave her utterly dismayed.

An excess of rage penetrates her every part,
And the agony in her soul is as deep as the wound in her heart.
The fury within her seeks a more becoming outlet,
But all art and nature's provisions are shy before the debt,
The green fields beckon her with a promise of hope.
But even these in their emptiness tempt her to stop.

The anguish of her soul has not yet found an external manifestation
For every vapour in her eyes swears to forego its condensation
The heaviness in her chest is more than the weight of many a lost love
And her pain is like that of a heart cut in to half.

Where shall this broken heart go, to whom shall it weep?
Who shall all these sorrows treasure and keep?
Only cry beloved heart, cry till every loved one hears
Cry beloved heart: even though you cry without tears!

Dad: Sawubona!
Ngema: Yebo, Sawubona! Were you Zulu?
I don’t seem to remember you.
Dad (laughs): I’ve always loved the Zulu!
Ngema: My name is Mbongeni Ngema
Dad: Call me Jo! Your music is loved by my son, Emma
Ngema: Oh, I know your son, he has the blood of the Zulu!
He looks like the kind that hails from Kwa-Mashu.
Dad (laughs): He longed to meet you while on earth
Ngema: Hahaha! That boy was very close to my heart.
Dad: Would you say he knows your every song?
Ngema (laughs): Every day, he discovers a new song!
Dad: He really loved Thina bant’a bamnyama
Ngema: Hahaha. Let’s just call it my last gift to Emma!
Dad: I think he’d really be happy to meet and see you
Ngema: Oh yes! He might be here soon. Let’s ask uJesu.

The poison in their lips made them run mad
Then one by one, they all dropped to the ground
Their brains like slime oozed out of their heads
But their sorrow was better than the words they'd said!

The tears: joyful tears they were
The endless stories and rib-cracking laughter
The cake, food, and drinks on every special day
The satiety, the tired, the headache thereafter!

The simple life: when you'd call my name from afar
A listening ear: when I'd tell you the things I prefer
Loving eyes: when you smiled endlessly at my sight
Warm hands: all the work you did to fill my life with light!

The grass's overgrown where we used to meet
Dust-filled are those chairs on which we'd sit
No better voyage will ever be taken by my feet
Than when we meet again on a heavenly street!

If I could make your name short,
And possibly call you Dave.
If I could rest you in a cot,
And watch you grow into a cove.
Then you'd be as peaceful as a dove
Then you'd live to see many years
God would fill you with his love
And always wipe away your tears
So, may the Lord make you wise and clever
May He bless you forever

He sees a face in that darkened night
It smiles and glances down at him
He's suddenly filled with loads of delight
Is this real or is it just a dream?
He motions to that angelic figure
Which stretches its arm in a friendly gesture
The touch electrifies his whole being
And dissolves the old life he's been living
The demons flee in haste
As the figure holds him to his breast
Is this real or is it just a dream?
But his eyes are open, he sees everything
A new spirit engulfs the man
He now longs for the day and its sun
The nightly moon grins its face
The stars rain down an extra grace
The company of the rain he'll still enjoy
But this time, the tears he'll cry will be of joy!

Every letter I write stems from the depths of my heart
Your love infected me; so did your art
In life, no better friend have I had
But what's more, you were both friend and father, Dad!

With none to own,
Forlorn and gone.
Broken but reborn,
Will live for eon.

Exsanguinated; torn
Swords of sorrow; mourn
Joy had seen its dawn
But now, the man's alone.

She is like the evening breeze
To which all hearts exposed readily freeze
Her smile is a permanent glow on her face
I carry that image to every place
Her heart - calm and laden with peace
Is there any as blessed as this?
Her eyes make the sun recoil in shame
The wind will pause when you mention her name
Her dress leaves the radiance of roses wanting
And her walk is to me a favorite dancing
A misnomer, but they say, "most wanted"
Who for me is splendor "most granted"
Mortal battles immortal in an eternal wrangle
Woe to me but not this slim angel
For in my darkness, she is the light
Even her shadow is bright!

Let the blood gently ooze
Let me this life slowly snooze
What new hope does the morrow bring
When dirges about me they sing!

All our heroes are now dead
The blood on their skins is freshly red
We have wept and now ably comply
For our wells of tears are empty and dry!

He sees them every day
And wonders what keeps them at bay
He knows someday they'll return
And that he must be ready to run!

They sparkle but only for a moment
They excite many a withered spirit
They give a false hope of release
And a prevailing semblance of ease
Their realm is that of fantasy
And never once do they harbour mercy
So, the sufferer soon returns to his torment
For their promises are never concrete

They both saw what they wanted
And their minds agreed to the sight
But by those thoughts, they were daily haunted
And weren’t sure to call it 'delight'
The fire was kindled, so was the hope
And the racing of their hearts could not stop
They were afraid of the outcome
The ‘if’, the ‘how’, the ‘what had to be undone’
They battled twixt themselves but to no avail
And in the end, a pure friendship was to prevail.

The chills have engulfed me,
For I watched the flames die.
It is awful what I see,
And the sight has made me cry!

To Fwain, we are coming
Before tomorrow's dawning
By road or by train
Whether in sunshine or rain.

To you Fwain our love
We come with all this joy
We give you all we have
She and her little boy.

So Fwain when we are gone
Deign to invite us again
And then we'll tell you like you've never known
How much we love Fwain

The dust coated the dreams of those men
And all their worthy cries, the winds would deafen
The rain washed away their manly tears
And the trenches were the perfect harbor for their fears

Goodbye
Goodbye, I say again
Tell me when (if) you'll come back
And the rain? tell me of that rain
Is it the reason you smile
or rather do you hide some guile
Do you still smoke in the cold
Do you even think of me as you told
Will you take my heart, too
And sell it for a penny or two!
Will you love as lovers do
or will you say we ain't meant to
I'm freezing and you are the ice
Keep me frozen, how sweet and nice!

Her heart drowned in the river of her tears
Her bones were broken by the weight of her fears
Forlorn she is by all her peers
And her fate is the type that's dreaded by seers

The anguish of her soul has not yet found an external manifestation.
For every vapour in her eyes swears to forego its condensation.
The heaviness in her chest is more than the weight of many a lost love.
And her pain is like that of a heart cut into half.

This heart is restless till it rests in you
Till the day you make all things new
Till I see you face in divine light
Till I hold Dad so tight!

You seat at the right of the Father
I want your love and no other
Lead me kindly, supply thy grace
Till I join you in that heavenly place.

She was trapped in an endless descent.
And that 'nadir' beckoned to her without restraint.
All her hopes of respite started to fade
when her soul of life was eternally bled.

The wind did pause when she mentioned her name
And the sun in haste increased its light
My dark complexion was all of a sudden bright
And every moment thereafter was ne'er the same!

In my world, all angels are heaven-sent!
Every moment with her fills me with amazement
Her eyes glitter like the midnight moon,
And her speech has the sound of my favorite tune.

Her embrace parts the waters of my misery
And her smile is the symbol of her verity
Her face is the treasure I carry in my mind
For a love as hers is truly a rare find!

Every picture deeply reminds me of you
My love for you has become as fresh as dew
Your demise gave my life an empty hue
But I long for the day He'll make all things new!

Those lovely days; I remember
And the joy of every encounter,
And the dialogues that robbed us of sleep.

Is that all lost, I wonder!
I am shaken to the marrow and under
But I am hopeful still; for the friendship was too deep.

Our troubles have truly overwhelmed us.
Afflicted we are by this unknown curse.
Everyday has had its lights extinguished,
And every hour has been but clouded in mist.

The image of your smile has been forever imprinted in my heart
And every moment lived with you comes readily to my mind
Your departure leaves me wondering where I'll start
For it's clear that no other man like you will I ever find!

Her beauty glistens like a rare diamond,
And her smile is the other treasure we have found.
By her every embrace, we have been healed;
And every touch has had our hearts with joy re-filled!

Let this breath be taken away
Let this heart cease its beating
Enough of the daily fray -
Enough of the soul's fitting!

The hope that is not given
A heart that's sorrow stricken
Many veneers in this life
Disaster, sadness and strife!

The happy bird sings
Lovely tunes in harmony
Every new day to this man brings -
Missed marks and concentric agony!

The picture, melancholy
The paint, my miseries
No song, no symphony
A hymn but sad stories

New day, new funeral
No fireworks at noon
We weep before arrival
The tear - my boon

A halo of grey
Moon, no rain
Sorrows but nay
My heart they stain

Only if you knew what it was,
You'd understand why I couldn't explain.
But, I'll patiently bear these woes.
And cherish every night of pain