My Mother’s Caregiver ~By Jasana Uandia
I became my mother’s caregiver when I was just four years old.
My mother was from Opuwo, in the Kunene region of Namibia. When I was four, she became very ill. In our area, people strongly believed in witchcraft. They thought her sickness was caused by something supernatural, something that…
The Heavy Burden by Senselina Guriras
This burden feels so heavy.
My tears have become
my only comfort.
Life carries me around
like a dried leaf
blown by the wind.
Oh, Life, give me peace.
I am so tired.
I cannot bear this anymore.
All I can do now is cry.
Life, look what you made me do.
Here I am, alone with
my thoughts once more.
Life,…
I Will Pray and Praise~ By Mutshidzi
This voice of mine,
this prayer born of my tongue,
I will never let it fade away.
In celebration, I will stomp through the open fields,
my heart bursting with a joy so deep,
wrapped in the quiet embrace of my faith.
Oh, I will pray and praise,
the ancient thanksgiving prayers and songs
my mother hummed…
Dear Self~ By Shamyne Doreen Mwila
A soul so bright,
Torn apart by darkness and endless fight.
Bipolar disorder’s waves crash on her shore,
As schizophrenia’s whispers echo evermore.
Her loved ones, they couldn’t understand,
The turmoil raged like a stormy land.
They rejected her with words that cut deep,
Leaving her to face the demons, asleep.
Her thoughts, a jumbled mess, like…
I wish I had Said Nothing~By Mutshidzi
It’s past midnight.
I’m on the edge of my bed.
The only sounds…
my pounding heart
and my grandmother’s
ancient clock.
Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
It’s almost deafening.
Maybe I should sleep.
But what if I don’t wake up?
I can’t close my eyes.
My mind is just dancing to fear.
I’ve given myself a racing heart
just by thinking.
I wish I’d said nothing
when…