Sometimes I wonder why it always has to be me,
The one who is left behind,
The odd one out,
The one making jokes that nobody laughs at,
Never anyone’s cup of tea.
I mean, you wouldn’t understand,
Since my face hides it so well.
You won’t see what’s behind this beautiful smile,
Or beneath this extroverted…
The joy of knowing I didn’t lose you—
The solace of knowing it could have been so much worse.
The pain you carried,
The self-hatred that consumed you,
I felt it.
The feeling of helplessness,
hopelessness, and despair
You tried to cover with your jokes,
I felt that so painfully
When I saw you on the
hospital bed in…
Mama, you traitor!
Mama promised me a quiet holiday,
While he promised me a quiet night,
Just us and the stars.
Two days, he said,
Two days I’d promised him,
Two days at Mama’s village.
A land where whispers linger in the fog,
Where news travels faster than curious neighbors peering over the fence,
And where the thatched…
In tender years, life’s storms began to rage,
A matriarch’s loss, a heart’s turning page.
Four and a half, with my sister by my side,
Left in aunt’s care, our father went abroad to reside.
South Africa’s call, a new life to unfold,
Education’s promise, young dreams to mold.
But stepmother’s shade cast darkness on…
My name is Geraldine, and this is my story. My journey has been one of immense struggle and faith. I was born and raised in Rustenburg, where my parents ran a business for 18 years. Right from the beginning of my childhood, challenges arose, particularly during my teenage years,…
Caged by my culture
A custom in my society
A girl to stay at home and be taught to take care of a home
While a boy child goes to school to be educated
This culture should be eliminated,
Women and girls’ dreams are shattered,
Nowhere to run, no one to run to,
I must follow…
Wow, I married at a very tender age, immediately after secondary school. Then, I quickly gained university admission, having so many dreams of what my life would look like. To my surprise, it turned into a nightmare. My laughter and glow turned to sorrow, pain, anguish, and regret. My…