the phone rang at 03:08
unknown number
Well, the bleeding wound
on his forehead prevented him
from sleeping anyway
He picked up
"Yeah?"
......
The old lady kept coming by
the hospital to assure the medics that it'll be
okay
"He's a true fighter," she said. "I know he'll make it.
He has won the battle with drugs
twice in the past. He'll make it this time as well. I
know it. I feel it. I believe in him."
"Mam," said the doctor. "We found rusty fragments
......
Through the eyes of a stranger,
I walk the crowded streets,
My thoughts hidden behind
A façade of indifference.
Always writing under breath
Each step the rhythm of a song
I listen for the murmurs,
The stories left half-told,
And with borrowed breath,
......
In the vast expanse where sages dream free,
Lies a realm of serenity, cleared sky.
It's a canvas bare, where the heart can see,
And the mind finds solace, hard to deny.
The clear sky, a purge of the earth's clutter,
A breath of fresh air, a sweep of the hand,
Where chaos is hushed, and disorder is butter,
Smoothed over by the quiet, expansive land.
......
Under the autumn canopy, a story unfolds,
Of chestnuts and noodles, some thick and some thin,
With the rustle of leaves, the season's joys are told,
A simple meal where flavors blend in.
Chestnuts, gathered from the ground's amber hue,
Their tough shells give way to the boil and bubble,
In the kitchen, they soften, then glue,
Their richness to the pot, a subtle trouble.
......
As I stand, a poet in an ocean of words,
Unspoken feelings, unheard verses surge.
What is this craft, this calling to write?
Is it light for others or my own plight?
I pen the tales of others, the struggles they bear,
Yet each word I write is a weight I wear.
To live, to serve, to break free from norm,
A poet’s life—a perpetual storm.
......
Through the eyes of a stranger,
I walk the crowded streets,
My thoughts hidden behind
A façade of indifference.
Always writing under breath
Each step the rhythm of a song
I listen for the murmurs,
The stories left half-told,
And with borrowed breath,
......
In crowded streets where silence often reigns,
A friend appears, a light amidst the gray.
His laughter breaks the weight of heavy chains,
With every word, he clears the clouds away.
No jewels worn, nor titles to proclaim,
Yet in his gaze, a warmth that feels like home.
Through stormy nights, he whispers, “You’re not lame,
For in this world, we’re never meant to roam.”
......
Ingrid Jonker se poësie is 'n spel van lig en skadu,
delikate woorde wat die siel aanraak.
Sy verken liefde,verlies en die menslike ervaring,
met 'n subtiele hand wat pyn en skoonheid saambring.
Haar verse is 'n fluistering in die wind,
'n refleksie van die wêreld se kwesbaarheid,
waar elke woord 'n diep emosie dra
en elke streep van haar pen
'n verhaal vertel.
In marble halls where hope and dread are knit,
A sanctuary stands, where life's fierce war is fought;
A citadel of balm, with potions lit,
Where pain and panacea in a dance are caught.
The odor of chloride, a bitter bloom,
Hangs in the air, a somber litany;
Chambers resound with the sick's funereal gloom,
Yet in this keep, champions battle silently.
......