Litnet

"He never did text me. Charlie, I mean. We went on as if the kiss had never happened."

"I take Afrikaans as home language. Being the only black student in my class I wanted to highlight what makes me stand out in a crowd."

"Kyle also plans to build a stronger media presence for New Coin; to feature forgotten or under-rated poets from the past; and to publish poetry from other South African languages in English translation."

"Lilo lodwa esithembele kulo | May our land be as pure as a dove ..."

"Her water had broken ten minutes before, but she knew there was still a lot more anguish to go through before it could get here. It. The baby."

"Thomas had given her a map. She thought that she would never be lost again. Judith loved Thomas. She also knew that he didn’t feel the same way about her. That there was no earthquake shattering him into millions of pieces when they kissed or touched each other."

"It’s been a quiet day today. Rain in the
air fresh. The streets are wet. There’s a
purity about the day."

"my mind keeps you unmarred,
wrapped in comforting childhood memories of you."

"We became like chameleons, and all of our winters
    soon turned into summers in his hands."

"You heal the ground I walk on. All the quiet ..."

"You’re bone-thin. Come drink a glass of
wine with me to fatten up your bones."

"Bongani’s soul, his sister said,
was vandalised, the insults
(sell-out, coconut)
cut him to the core, he changed,
withdrew, spoke less and less
and killed himself."

"And so we stand: network of scars,
shadows of arteries and veins
pressing up beneath the surface ..."

"this year for Christmas
my household’s skinniness
won’t penetrate my skin"

"Apparently in DRC they say:
when people clap for you,
take flight –
for you are a fly;
claps can end your life."

"The fruit most likely
to wither on the vine
is the apple of your eye"

"Time to part with what I’ve gleaned,
pick your favourite, he said,
I’ll print it, frame it, bring it round."

Read a poem by Heidi Henning.

"Everything is spiraling, feathery"

"He feels the warmth of the old man’s arm around his shoulders, and then the pat on his back. 'I know. The world can be a terrible place. We won’t be able to change that. But, you are prepared for it – as much as anyone can be. You will be okay if you use what you have to make it better.'"