
There I will be In her skin, lodged in places
Where she cannot wash me out
Quieten down my beating drums
Don’t listen to my skin vibrating
Ignore the haste,
The rush, that’s bursting out of every pore
Don’t look back
At me
As I come apart
Rest assured
And please be sure
That I will rise again.
You smell like a memory of the sea
And I remember which day
You swept me off my feet, but gently
A toe still drawing
Lines in the sand
You are my island
You are my city
Ceremoniously a ribbon was cut
In your honour, the brass bands played
The mayor put on his best suit
For the occasion
Of which there aren’t many
Nowadays
You are my country
I fly your flag in honour
I don’t care what the neighbours think
My screams and cries permeate the air
You are my country
I wear you with pride
You are my beach resort
I play loud music till the small hours
I don’t tire, but when I do
I sleep on the warm sand
That you made for me
I drink your tropical fruits
My skin smells of sunshine
You are my saviour
I crash into your shores
Your acceptance is unwavering
You are my saviour
I am on solid ground with you
You are my motherland
I lap up your milk and honey
Like a hungry stray
I sit on your lap
Even when you’re a stranger
I speak my mother tongue
It rolls off your ears
And falls to the ground
You are my island
I swim around you to protect you
I swim and swallow the water
But it is sweet
My skin gets wrinkled in your waters
You are my island
I wait for my end of days in you.
A new kind of courage
You give me a new kind of courage
You’ve seen me crawl out of my own skin
Frustrated beyond words
Shaking my fists and my beliefs
At a world that
Just
Won’t
Understand
Because, who am I?
And who are you?
And what is it we are doing collectively that
Would matter at all?
You’ve seen me rise out of the destruction
Of my own dreams
Bright-eyed
Brushing every bloody tear off my face
In the way only long, hot showers and music can
You’ve seen me run and crash
And change direction
Breathless, jaw-clenched, eyes circles that don’t
Stop
Believing
You’ve seen me consistent and committed
To the grave
I started to dig
In my own creation of a beautiful garden
And then smile with conviction
As I covered it up and swore to you
It will never happen again
And I believed it
And we both know
That I am a fool.