Trapped 2 (Caged In A Mansion) Poem by Tebogo Angela Poen

He who knoweth my weaknesses and fears
Hath me on the Palm of his hand
I'm merely at his mercy
His fingers are my hopes'dead end

So I tremble and stumble with fear
Fear of what he knows about me
So much that I'm afraid to reveal
So his commands, I follow

I bow, kiss and lick his feet with bitterness and sorrow
This is what oppression tastes like
Slavery has birthed me
Freedom is just a word like 'tomorrow'
Forever coming without arrival

So I guess it shall eternally be
You the master, me the slave
Just to keep my life sane

His eyes piercing through mine with disgust
Like he sees a demon he would just want to cast out
His saliva_ my facial cream
Every spit, I wipe
I spread on my skin

I feel unworthy to be looked at by his pearly_marble eyes
Like all my skeletons are just brought to the judgement table to testify against me
Patiently waiting for the master to release them as they've been working endless shifts

So I'm holding on to that piece of hope that was somehow caged in my imaginary world
That may be somehow I will wake up to a new world
A world with no oppression

Hoping that all these skeletons that escaped the closets would somehow find a way to their place of rest _ the graves
But how do we let the sleeping dogs lie?
Someone told me they sometimes need to be woken up in order to lie properly
But this blackmail has had me on my knees, praying for the world to end

And that's the only way I could ever have my freedom
Cause I'm tired of serving this ruthless kingdom
Offering my flesh in surrender like a roasted full chicken
I miss the days I once felt like a human
If there's a hole of hope in the corners of this mansion
I would use it to escape

If there's a wind approaching, I would flap my arms
Move in its direction and let it take me home
So little of me is left inside
My breath, my heartbeat counting down like a ticking bomb
I hope that's enough time to reach my place of rest _ home
A place of hope