Safe House

Four Poems by South African Busisiwe Mahlangu

Safe House

the old chair is pushed against the door
the windows are closed
the gate is locked
the fence has barbed wire to peal the flesh
a good sleep is bought with caution:
pull the keys out of the doors
do not switch off the lights in all the rooms
hide the welcome mat
tell the dog to start barking

since they can steal from a body too
i sat in the old chair behind the door,
i built the windows with bricks
the handle of the gate is barbed
the fence is four layers of steel
each breath comes with caution:
swallow the keys after locking
keep all the lights on
pretend to be awake
burn the welcome mat
teach the dog how to bite

we spent our lives waiting for thieves to come
but they live in our house

After School

The boy in my class
carries a knife in his bag,
he says it is only sharp enough to cut apples.

When night comes
he stands under a peach tree
with his shadow hiding,
looks for apples,
finds them in a woman’s purse
sometimes between thighs, forceful,
and his blade cuts through the branches.

Tomorrow, the man who saw him,
opens his lungs to laugh.
The humour is about boys who never lose
their shadows in the dark —
boys who grew up to be scary men too soon,
I can feel the giggles on every street,
the laughter with loose betrayal.
Is the man laughing about the knife
or the boy who taught it to cut more than just apples?

Colourful

Paint your left foot red
and your right —
green.
A woman needs exit and warning signs
to go running
at 5pm

Escape

Next to her grandma,
she is the daughter that swallowed rain and lightning
and still lived.

Next to the wall,
she is a corner safe from any tsunami.

Next to herself,
she is a paddle on the floor
almost not there.

Busisiwe Mahlangu is a poet and performer from Mamelodi, Pretoria (South Africa). She is currently studying for a BA in Creative Writing majoring in African languages and Linguistics at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Busisiwe is the current Tshwane Speak Out Loud Youth Poetry Competition Champion 2016/2017. Her poetry has been published on Naane Le Moya, Ja magazine and Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Anthology Volume 7. You can follow her on Twitter @busimahlangu_.