Dying voices...



There are stories of despair that are never shared,
Words unheard are enveloped in the tears shed.
Gratitude goes to the rain,
The showers of heaven conceal our cries and blanket our shame.
Our voices are heard when life ends;
Our lips move when graves demand sad songs to be sung.
We are quiet when life is in progress,
Enemies of progress say the sounds we utter yield nothing but problems.
So, we borrowed a language from our bodies
To speak in gestures.

We fear what happened to a black boy.
During daylight, he tried to be an advocate of black pain.
In the morning, he was an injured bird crawling on the prison floor.
He died while waiting for an advocate.
Only an invoice is a magnet to the voice he was waiting for.
Urgent attention is paid to pay-checks;
The world is deaf to the screams of poor boys.
The poor have lost hope in the promises of the flag.
Their pain is thrown into the fog,
And their voices are chained in the backyard like my neighbour’s dog.
The leaders have forgotten their voices.
As they rose to power,
Community disappeared at the top of their tower.
Their voices turned into markets that sell lies.

Dear black boy,
We have no flowers for your grave but an oath;
Our voices will rise from the low valleys.
They will claim power and proclaim healing for the forsaken.

About this poem

Through exploring untold stories of injustice and hopelessness in our community, I convey the black experience. I highlight the fight for recognition and a voice in the face of institutional oppression and societal indifference by using vibrant words and strong imagery. A black youngster who was let down by a system of neglect is the subject of a poem that mourn the loss of voices silenced by power struggles and profit-driven ambitions. Yet it also conveys a message of tenacity and determination, promising to take back control and give voice to the voiceless while pursuing justice and healing in the face of adversity.  

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Written on July 11, 2023

Submitted by asiphenicholasfeni on April 28, 2024

1:20 min read
49

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXAXXXXXBX CADXDXXXXXXEEX CXBX
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,301
Words 267
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 10, 14, 4

Mfundi The Poet

Born in Gauteng, Asiphe Nicholas Feni, often known as Mfundi the poet, is a gifted poet who grew up in the township of Mfuleni in Cape Town. He graduated from Stellenbosch University with a BA in Humanities with a Psychology and Sociology focus. He has poetry published! His love for theater and performance is the source of his passion for poetry. Mfundi features in the Xhosa poetry collection AMAZW' EEMBONGI, which also includes a lecture by Mr. T.A. Simayile in Xhosa from Stellenbosch university. With several of his poems appearing in an AVBOB online poetry competition publication. Due to his fearlessness and commitment to developing his craft, he ventured into slam poetry contests, where he placed third in the prestigious Jobela Event's Innovative Poetry Competition Slam in 2023 at the Artscape Theatre. He later won the second edition of the Innovative Poetry Slam in 2024 at the same venue. He won first prize in the poetry 2023 category of the First National Writing Center Creative Writing Competition, which is a collaboration between DUT, UCT, WITZ, and Stellenbosch University. He took first prize in the "Day of Solidarity" theme for the Palestine movement at the University of Stellenbosch. He is unique among poets in that he can write about anything and everything, even touching matters and poetry for business and leadership movements. Among the notable organizations for which he has composed poetry are EcoMaties, LeeConnect, Co-create Hub, and the Centre for Student Leadership Experiential Education and Citizenship. more…

All Mfundi The Poet poems | Mfundi The Poet Books

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1 Comment
  • Centaur99
    I found this poet’s use of metaphor to be exceptional. The poets use of language was ingenious, taking us to the frontier of meaning while always making sense. The metaphors were never so elusive that I couldn’t understand exactly what was being said. It is hard to walk so fine a line. I think it can be argued that this is exactly what the art of poetry consists of in its practice. Then too, this poet’s art is used to express a pressing, urgent message. This is a poetic voice to be reckoned with. 
    LikeReply11 days ago

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"Dying voices..." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/187273/dying-voices...>.

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