Why, But Why? Poem by Mpho Petrus Manwedi

You wake up to a glorious morn
To a cheerful song of the birds
The clear skies sighing in the acknowledgement
Of a magnificent day to be
But in your soul all is dark
Your body reflects the defects of your spirit
Then a question filters through the sieve of your empty mind
Why, but why?

You try to fill the fragmented slots of your mind
Ticking answers from your reluctant little fingers of your brain
Your tardy automated physique
Groanly moving hither and thither
Refusing the beckoning of the refreshing sphere outside
Because in your heart the happy door is closed
And the question is slowly filling your unresponsive mind
Why, but why?

The dictates of the day comes through
Unwanted, but oh! So necessary they take over
Tugging you unwillingly into their tormenting routine
Pulling you hesitantly into the shine of the blessed night rained world
Where with a cheer and a smile the passing faces greet you by
But grumpily and with a cloudy howdy you shuffle by
Then you guiltily ask your pitying self
Why, but why?


The day takes its short but seemingly long hours
You say a little prayer to the God you don’t know
For carrying you through what was
Unarguably a bad tempestuous day for you
But your mind is still dark to the, Why
You take off your jacket, kick off your shoe
Lay back on the settee and try to contemplate
The source of your negation to the pleasant of the creator’s days
Yet you can only come up with that painful question
Why, but why?