Mpho Leteng Poems

We get gulped in depths of impassioned passions,
Emotional emotions, a tempest raging, a force too strong,
Love is no longer the endearment of Shakespear's pen,
The true love that concurs all is only a poet's mirage,
...

In the quiet corner of my mind,
I want a plain substandard coffin,
Wide enough to contain my wishes of more livelier offing,
A much more humbled prospect; a faultless unadulterated vision.
...

At Sesheke, the sun bows low,
Casting long shadows on the street,
Where laughter dances with whispered dreams,
And the air is thick with stories untold.
...

If I knew what love is, I'd grasp its might
With certitude, I'd claim it as my right
I'd slay my doubts, and rise with morning's light
To kiss your forehead, and banish endless night
...

In the stillness of the night, I ponder
Why does loving you feel so wrong?
The way my heart aches in your absence
And yet, the weight of your presence feels heavy
...

Leaving her mother at the birthing center,
My heart throbbed with unease and fear,
But when I heard she arrived safe and sound,
A smile lit up, wiping away every tear
...

I'm not your friend, my friend.
I see the greasy grip of your hand,
Stained with the blood of the streets,
Cracked palms from signing deceit.
...

How Can We Not Have This Conversation

How can we not have this conversation
where footprints of the poor vanish
...

Do we need saving?
We, who walk the tightrope of existence,
Balancing dreams and despair,
With hearts tethered to the weight of the world,
...

Once I felt the patent feeling acutely too,
A spark within, a flame anew,
Wouldn't deter the impetus will that took me in,
A journey's start, with heart and kin.
...