Phases/Faces Of Life Poem by Angela Bontle Ditumiso

There was a time
When I wanted to open up
My skin at the hinges of my wrists
To see how many iron coins
Would fall out of my container

There was a time
I would pull strings of tears
From my eyes
Trying to see if I could come up with the sea
I still haven't figured out what it takes
To make impressions on my face
So for most part I cried
But the water I couldn't hold

There was a time I'd look back
Thinking I'd become a pillar of salt
My skin weighs so heavy on my bones
My soles hurt to even exist
How do I make the dust disappear

One time I threw myself in the air
To see how far I could discard disappointment

I was taught to read
Using my achievements
I don't know what comes after seven

There was a time and it's no more
Buried in yesterday
The past is a series of graves
I don't even know why I exhume
The dead
There was a time
And I no longer care for it