Hollow Chest

by Bradley Makgatho
(Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa)

Deep within this hollow chest
I sighed fumes of fury
as I watched my soul fade
into eternal darkness,
on the edge of insanity,
the demons within me
multiplied exponentially.
I lost my grip on reality
clinging to this thin rope tearing away
as seasons withering with time.

I watched from atop Mount Kilimanjaro
in shame
as I saw the world the gods have deserted,
out of the African soil
I rose with sand-filled shoes
as I got lost
in this lonely jungle of life.