Page 30 - LockDown Poetry 2020

-------- lockdown poetry --------

What Have You Done To Pull Sanity In?

Thandiwe Ngwenya

Ever tiptoed while lying on your back?

Ever squeezed yourself into the one corner of your bed to

escape?
Ever swallowed a hopeful placebo?

Ever bashed your head against the wall to excuse the

numbness?
Ever jogged just to get a hug from the wind?

Ever listened closely to the wind’s whispers?

What have you ever done to pull sanity in?

I find it weird that sanity is the norm.

Too much is happening to us.

What method do you employ to maintain the standard?

What have you done to pull sanity in?
Ever fully immersed yourself in unbalanced sound?

Ever given silence a chance to speak?

Ever thought that maybe there’s no whisper,
But it’s about your attention’s investments?

I’ll tell you what I’ve done:

I’ve cried, I’ve talked, and I’ve taken long walks;

I’ve prayed about it, guns blazing,
All in efforts to pull sanity in.

Immersed in these efforts, silence screams,
“Whoever said sanity is the norm?

Who deserves my last bullet?

29