Morning:
resurrections of the summer sun
the moon has left behind wet blades of grass
a surreal fear of the ultraviolet
with gradual illuminating intensity
voyeur of ashen brown skin
arid soil, volume and space
on knees bludgeoned soft
soft as my mother tongued pleas
left nestled on the cartilage of ears
Daytime:
peak of the sun
onslaught of the ultraviolet scorching
ruthless, relentless beat down
the djembe
and for us there is no shade here
Afternoon:
faith as my misshapen knees // landing hard on the ground
again // lines of my palms to touch //
my lips // before they say amen
burden of the heat comes down
// piercing rays of the sun
to kill me.
Sihle Ntuli is a poet and classicist living in Durban. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Classical Civilisations and has previously lectured at the University of the Free State, where he was awarded the 2019 CTL Innovation Award for Curriculum Design and Delivery.
His poetry was shortlisted for the DALRO Poetry Prize in 2017. He most recently became the author of the poetry chapbook, Rumblin in 2020. He has had work published in South Africa and across the African continent on notable journals such as Lolwe, Down River Road & The Johannesburg Review of Books.
