To visualize what you can’t see:
That’s the paradoxical pleasure of the mind.
In the afterbirth of seeing,
Death of imagination.
To dally on the brink of reality:
That’s the snug of life.
In the capitulation of the summit,
Paradoxical disappointment.
Now is the legend beyond
Become the cliche of the elements.
Shall the synthetic gauze
Atone for the beauty of the fertility lines?
Tochukwu Ezebube is a passionate poet and founder of Poem Collections. With a deep love for African verse and a commitment to sharing diverse poetic voices, Tochukwu curates a rich tapestry of poems that celebrate the beauty of words from Africa and around the world. Join him on this poetic journey at Poem Collections, where the magic of language unfolds.
Awake, thou sleeping heart! Awake, and kiss The love – lorn brow Of this ebon lass, Dear Africa, Whose virgin charms Ensnare the love-lit hearts Of venturing youth From other lands Awake, sweet Africa Demand thy love, Thou sleeping heart! When the all-summer sun Paints the leafy boughs With golden rays, Know then, thou sleeping…
I approach, and I withdraw:who but I could findabsence in the eyes,presence in what’s far? From the scorn of Phyllis,now, alas, I must depart.One is indeed unhappywho misses even scorn! So caring is my lovethat my present distressminds hard-heartedness lessthan the thought of its loss. Leaving, I lose morethan what is merely mine:in Phyllis, never…
Girl with your basket, with your pretty basket, with your shovel, with your pretty shovel, gathering shoots on the hillside here. I want to ask your home. Tell me your name! This land of Yamato, seen by the gods on high— it is all my realm, in all of…
Naked woman, black woman Clothed with your colour which is life, with your form which is beauty! In your shadow I have grown up; the gentleness of your hands was laid over my eyes. And now, high up on the sun-baked pass, at the heart of summer, at the heart of noon, I come upon…
we cannot see far into the distance neither can we see what used to stand there but today we can see trees separated by wind and air and if we dare to look beneath the soil we will find roots reaching out for each other and in their silent inter-twining create the hidden landscape of…
Background of the poet Mazisi Kunene, one of the most important and influential voices in modern African literature, was born in Durban, South Africa in 1930. He studied at the University of Natal where he took an M. A. He was head of the Department of African Studies in the University College at Roma in…
