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Xoliswa Maduna Poem
Hey little girl.
Upon hearing what teenage you had to go through, you gaped
On realizing how bold I’ve become, I gasped.
I want you to know that it is okay.
If I had to say something to you about where I am today
It would be who knew.
Who knew that you would be depressed at the age of 13
Stuck between being emotional and emotionless.
Who knew you would discover the power in forgiveness at the age of 18?
Who knew you would master the art of letting go at the age of 19?
Deep wounds heal but leave permanent scars.
And I live with an inedible image of battles I had fought
Till this day 5-year-old me who had dreams and a fairy-tale life planned still lives
You still live at the back of my mind; I still hear your voice
Reciting all your dreams like you did at 5
I wrote this letter to let you know that I am setting teenage you free, I am finally allowing her to heal.
Copyright © Xoliswa Maduna | Year Posted 2026
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Xoliswa Maduna Poem
A tinted rainbow smeared with blood
On its surface lies the bodies of youth devoured by guns
Guns aimed at them by the same people who were meant to protect them
46 years later we are still fighting the same battle as the class of 76
But now the narrative has changed
Instead of fighting against being taught in a language we don’t understand
The fight is against fees and black on black oppression
Please forgive mama that they didn’t tell you when you were voting in 1994 that you were voting for your grandkids and great grandkids to be unemployed
Please forgive me sir that they didn’t tell you ukuthi you were voting for your kids to be working at a carwash with a Masters degree
I am sorry that they didn’t tell you, you were voting for black-on-black oppression
Copyright © Xoliswa Maduna | Year Posted 2026
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Xoliswa Maduna Poem
I suffocated , air grasped from my lungs
My heart sang for you
My mind protested and my melody seemed to be fading
But I waited for you
Finally like it had just be proselytized
My mind sang the same tune as my heart
And all was a smooth, sound river flow
A river flow like my tears when I had convinced myself that it was different
That your heart no longer beats the same way for me
Like when it felt like you did an introspection
And realized you picked the wrong gemstone
That I was no longer the apple of your eye
But a forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden
Still I waited for you
For the mere thought of you
Or the mention of your name
Forced my adrenal gland to secrete adrenaline
And my heartbeat increased threatening to rip my Sino atrial node
Betrayed by my hypothalamus failing to cooperate with my cerebrum
I waited for you, I did
And I know for sure that when you go into hiding again
I’ll wait for you
Copyright © Xoliswa Maduna | Year Posted 2026
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Xoliswa Maduna Poem
Our father who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom comes
Heal my country father
Mother Africa is crying blood
Her children have turned into butchers
They are slaughtering each other
You can at least answer the prayers of a concerned mother right
Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
Along with the daily bread give us peace and defrost a man’s heart
If it is too much to ask, then you can keep your daily bread
I’m sure you have heard my fellow sisters scream for mercy in the hands of men thirsty for blood and would just do anything to quench their thirst
His hands firm, driven by lust making sure that he will have dinner and desert that very moment
So, father I’m pretty sure you understand why we don’t need your daily bread
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
The biggest sin is being a woman
Mine is worse for I am black and a woman
Roaming the streets as the next hashtag
Hashtag justice for me, justice for her, justice for them
Forget about gender equality
We are just inferiors living in a male dominated world
Justice? The preparators do get arrested but go out on bail
As if a girl child’s life comes with a price tag attached to it
Every day before I go out, I pray father please let me return my father’s little princess, so innocent
But if it happens that I am the next uyinene mrwetyana
Then I pray that you help my family find peace for we both know that justice is the last thing they would get
Let them know that they were the last thing I thought about
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
For thy is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever
amen
Copyright © Xoliswa Maduna | Year Posted 2026
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Xoliswa Maduna Poem
A precious flower waiting to bloom
Ready to escape your mother’s womb
I remember sitting in that room
Already creating scenarios in my head
Holding you in my arms for the first time
Looking at you with dread
Finally, I have somebody to call mine
Love at first sight
Initially the thought of you gave me a fright
How will a broken human like me be able to parent
Will my salary be able to take care of you and still have enough left to pay rent
Your existence is magical and baby I love you always
Copyright © Xoliswa Maduna | Year Posted 2026
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Xoliswa Maduna Poem
Falling in love, in today’s generation is a game of chess
A two-player board game
The rules are simple;
Each player takes turns to make a move with the pieces of another’s heart
Each kind and caring gesture is a pawn move
You see falling in love now is a competition to see who yells CHECKMATE! First
Copyright © Xoliswa Maduna | Year Posted 2026
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Xoliswa Maduna Poem
You saw yourself fade
Stuck in the midst of it all
Yet you still continued
Got stabbed with a blade
Got played like a ball
On your knees you fell
You knew it was hell
Yet you still continued
You failed to say your weakest Goodbye
Because you were promised Dubai
Placed your bet on illusions
Instead of performing ablutions
And bidding farewell to all the pain, insults and being taken for granted
Copyright © Xoliswa Maduna | Year Posted 2026
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Xoliswa Maduna Poem
It is what is coded on my DNA
It is the rhythm of my heartbeat
It is what is engraved on my soul
It is what is written in my anthology
It is my medicine
"MEDICINE "
Yeah, I think that is the perfect word to describe what art means to me
For all the times I felt the urge to down my anti-depressants with alcohol
But chose to bleed on pages instead
For all the times I wanted to curse God for all my pain
But decided to turn my prayers into a poem instead
For the time art kept me company in the midst of my dark hours
For that one time when music bandaged my wounds
And when Phora's album made me feel like I had a companion
Like I an not the only one experiencing this hell
Art saved me
Copyright © Xoliswa Maduna | Year Posted 2026
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Xoliswa Maduna Poem
My happiness buried 6 feet deep beneath the pain, beyond my reach
6 feet just like your body
Watching your coffin go down in slow motion
As though clinging to the hope that someone might stop it from going down
As though someone might wake you from the dead
I bleed
A part of me got buried with you that day
And yet I still remember you with a heart full of warmth
A movie in my head of all the happy moments
With a stream of tears flowing down my eyes and a smile
I remember how you used to be my alarm in the morning
Making sure that I don’t get to school late
How you would make ends meet
Break the barriers, just so that I have transport money for school
How you would wake up early in the morning to fetch your grant money
Walk past a few shops see shoes and some T-shirts then you’d go “mhmm my granddaughter will love this”
I will continue to remember you with a smile
It may hurt but I’m glad that God spared you the pain of this cruel world
Finally, the beeping pain that came from your wounds has calmed
You are resting, peacefully I hope
Copyright © Xoliswa Maduna | Year Posted 2026
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Xoliswa Maduna Poem
I don’t know how but it is my fault
I understand
I too would hate a child that looks exactly like her father
Her face engraved every heartbreak I tried to bury deep for safe keeping
Her resemblance bearing the broken promises I suffered at the hands of a man who had no plans of staying in my life for too long
He just came in for dinner and left shortly after
Leaving you to bear the consequences of falling blindly in love
All you are left with is a living, breathing, walking sign “I was here”
It is my fault
I don’t know how but it is my fault
I understand
I too would hate a child that looks exactly like her father
My presence is like having all your bad decisions thrown in your face
Like you, I am also a victim of the same man
I am being punished for the sins of my deadbeat father
He sure was a charmer
Keeping all the letters I wrote to him as a child in box
Maybe if I keep them long enough I would be able grow a man out of words scribbled
Maybe I would birth a perfect father out of pen and paper
So mom you see, you are not the only one burning with anger caused by him
It is not my faut after all
For I too am a victim of his lies
Copyright © Xoliswa Maduna | Year Posted 2026
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