
It’s a normal day
After work hours
The city is starting to get noisier
The chatter of streets quite too deafening
I throw on my grey sweater
And get out of the house
Begin my walk away from civilisation
The children are chasing each other
Shrieking loudly
A tired driver is yelling at one of the infants
They really should stay away from the roads
I keep walking…
I pass by the old spaza in my hood
The guys are gathering there in their usual huge glitch
Trying to take in some herbs secretly
They holler at me as I pass
I just shake my head, laugh
Pulls out a peace and passes
Making a turn into another street
Things are busier here
Workers use this route on their way home
The firm employees are complaining about not getting their wages for the second month
It’s heartbreaking
They don’t feel my empathy though because
One of them pushes me off the sidewalk
Making a comment about me being “one of the rich city kids who act as though they own the roads”
That’s okay though
I just pass them with my head held down
Then I make the final turn
My favourite turn
I smile to myself as I take on the dirt road
Up the hill I go
Putting everything behind me
The little argument with my mother
The mess I always have on my back
All behind
I climb up as just some girl
On this rocky creation,
I’m just another normal piece of nature
The top is beautiful
I navigate through the overgrown path to my usual spot
My hood is off
I feel light
Free
I sit on the usual rock
Listen to the birds chirping
The summer breeze whizzing
The soft wash of the lake below
The water looks almost still
If you look more intently though
There are small ripples of waves causing motion
I keep looking up towards sky
West side
It’s not fully there yet
But it’s coming, soon
So I keep waiting
Till it finally happens
The moment feels ever so surreal
I whip my head to the sky again
And this time,
The rays come down washing on my face
Igniting warmth on my skin
The colour reflecting off me
And suddenly everything quitens
Or maybe it’s just me
But the birds stop chirping
The breeze stops whizzing
The water and the plants stop moving
The sounds in the distance no longer heard
The planet stills
Clouds wrap around the sun
A scarily beautiful pattern
All is calm
Golden.
.Mpho