The Cry Of An Abandoned Child Poem by Malphia Honwane

They say life is a journey I must enjoy the ride
I say it is easier said than done
I stand here alone and lonely like I do every day
Listening to my determined heart beating furiously
I look around and see happy people smiling
Parents playing with their children
Children enjoying their parents' presence
They smile with extreme joy
I smile back, only to learn they were not smiling at me
Worse, they are not smiling with me
Perhaps they are smiling because they are grateful they are not me
I am an abandoned child and I am empty
There are people next to me
But none of them is with me
My mother is rumoured to be somewhere in Mthatha
My father is presumed to be in Soweto
I am standing here emotionally numb and cold
Because my granny, who raised me
The only person who embraced my existence
Has embarked on a journey of no-return
I am an abandoned child with nowhere to go
As the wind sweeps through my face
As the cold weather greets my half-covered body
As the sun penetrates my exposed skin
As the rain wets my love-starved body
I think of all my misery
My pain and what other children my age are enjoying
I bite my lower lip to disturb the free-flowing tears
I rub the palms of my hands to generate energy for renewed strength
I build castles in the air just to sway my mind away from my predicaments
But you can't ignore reality, they say
I need to take the pain
For me to see the rain
Although my dignity had to endure the wrath of life
I know my dreams are not shattered
My success is never delayed
Others walk
Others run
Others fly
But we are all going to our preferred destinations
In this life
Where death is the greatest hunter
I refuse to be my own enemy of progress
Being an abandoned child does not mean I am a neglected child
It is rather a challenging circumstance that needs to be confronted and tackled head on
Let me get out of my shell and face the light
I know if I do so
My dark shadow will fall behind me
I am not an abandoned child
I am a less-privileged child
And I will rise against adversity...