Beginning nowhere

November 15, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Beginning nowhere

So then, we continue from the end…

Mabuded’ubumnyama
(Let the darkness fade)

Arms crossed 
in prayer to gods who 
no longer know how to hear us
we stand at the edge of darkness
bearing a forlorn witness 
to our own slow-motion descent 
into night without stars 
or moons 

We lift our hands to the skies
Makudedubumnyama
kuvelukukhanya
Makudedubumnyama 
Kuvelukukhanya

The pounding of our hearts 
levitates us to the weightlessness 
of questions whose answers 
land like boulders 
on our shoulders
It was never the light 
but us who left 

 

 

 

(Photo Credit: Jane Alexander / artthrob)

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About Siphokazi Mthathi

Siphokazi Mthathi is Executive Director of Oxfam South Africa, with two decades of experience in the human rights and social justice movement in Southern Africa. She was General Secretary of the Treatment Action Campaign, the South Africa Director of Human Rights Watch, the regional advisor at the Coalition of African Lesbians, and most recently Manager for South Africa and Southern Africa programs at Norwegian People’s Aid.