The Heart’s Cry….

The birds flying made beautiful scenery as Sibongile watch out the window of the
taxi. She envied them as they glide through the air, with ease and with no regard of
any restrictions or responsibilities. She envied how the air seemed to embrace them
with a welcoming coolness and love. She was interrupted by the driver starting the
taxi; her mind snapped back to another long day at the office was ahead of her. She
yawned and hoped that today was going to be a different day then the norm. As she
was about to pay her fee and do what she always does, look for her headsets so
that she can listen to music. She was interrupted by a gentleman’s voice. Ahhhh I
see you don’t have a mark on your thumb? Does this mean you haven’t voted? In
her mind she was screaming, can you please mind your own business and pretend
you didn’t see me so I can listen to my music peacefully. She chuckled politely and
instead answered the guy with a tired smile “I am a bit worn out, depressed and
tired of politics at the moment. I guess I feel bruised by the high crime rate.” The
wound was still fresh in her heart as she remembered two months back the crime
had taken her grannies life. She was a strong women who had been so fill of love
and strong believes that the country was moving forward as long as people worked
hard, didn’t lose hope and did the best they can to improve their lives and to help
others. This to her was a sour subjects that brought tears in her eyes and an
overwhelming pain that made her heart seemed that it was torn in two. The scar ran
so deep that talking about the subjects made her cry uncontrollable. She didn’t feel
like sharing her story with the guy as yet. The gentleman seemed to read into her
hesitation of providing a further answer he seemed to have read her mind and he
started talking about his views on the subject of politics….

However this gentleman seemed to intrigue her as he dived into the politics of the
country and how the outcomes might turn out regarding the voting that was taking
place that year. Her mind wondered away from the pain, depression she had
experienced earlier in the year. As he spoke about the past and the present of the
country, he touched on the big historical events, the environment and what was
making people vote for certain parties. His voice was soothing as listening to an
orchestra play. She found herself in a different place as he spoke about the history
and the beauty of South Africa. It seemed that the gentleman sitting next to her was
able to construct and build strong enchanting pictures of South Africa. He was able
with his words, to make her believe that the everyday struggles faced by individuals
and all where part of a bigger map and plan of progress. He saw heroism and
bravery in the daily lives that where faced by South Africans. She listens intensively
as if she was in a history class and she did not want to miss a word he was saying.
He seemed to be well inform and quite eloquent in expressing his views in the
subject. After that he moved to all the tourist attraction and great historical places
that where available to the South African market. Her month was wide open as he
talked about the places that where captivating that were in South Africa. She was a
little bit embarrassed that she didn’t know most of the places.

In the past years, she had focused on paying for her education through tertiary and
tried to make ends meet with her salary which covered her basic needs. She made a
point in her mind that she must save up and at least see one of the places he had
mentioned. Before long she was interrupted by a lady getting of the taxi and she
realise that she had run out of time with this gentleman because this was her stop
to. She looked him in the eyes and smiled as she said she has to go because this
was her stop to. He smiled back and wished her a happy day. She got of the taxi
and hurried to work as she was running late. However she couldn’t seem to quite
get rid of the gentleman’s image in her mind. He was tall and had a beautiful dark
brown chocolate skin. His eyes where piercing as if they can see into ones soul, yet
they were full of kindness, warmth and wisdom. He looked like he was in his early
thirties. They fitted his handsome face so well; they seem to tell a story of their own
about the struggles he had encompassed. The whole day Sibongile tried to wonder
what he was all about and as time went she got lost in her work again of Salaries
and administration work. When she got home, to her cosy quite place that she
stayed in all by herself she couldn’t stop her mind drifting back to the stranger she
had meet that morning. She smiled for a brief moment and chucked the whole thing
to an interesting soul she had met that day. The days that followed where the same
daily routine that she was familiar too, slowly the guy was being forgotten bit by bit.
Up early to go to work and then, her work taking priority and then back again to her
place.

Today she woke up feeling happy, she wasn’t sure if it was because it was a Friday
that brought about the happiness but today Sibongile felt different and excited. So
she wore her beautiful pink dress that highlighted her slim finger and complimented
her fair skin. She felt that this summer day was somewhat different from the rest. As
she was standing in the queue for the taxi and hearing people matter their
frustration of why the taxing were taking long then usual and their frustration of the
hot weather. She made a vow that today she is not going to complain about the
heat, the long queue and her debts that seemed to follow her everywhere. As she
smiled and day dream that she owned a car a familiar voice interrupted her
thoughts. Good morning, it came from behind and when she looked back it was the
same gentleman whose name she did not get from the other day. He seem to bring
a positive ore, it flocked him like bees flocking a queen bee and honey. She smiled,
“It’s been a while stranger where have you been hiding? He looked at her and
smiled back and mentioned that his shifts changes now and again. They got into the
taxi and they talked like their where the oldest of friends. Severally months past and
they bumped into each other often and he seemed to captivate her with every word
and sentence he uttered.

It was spring again and Sibongile woke up feeling sad on this particular day. There
was something about spring that made her happy normally but this spring was
looking gloomy. However when she thought about the gentleman it made her realise
that winter had come and gone and she still didn’t know the guy’s name that made
her dance sometimes around the office. Today she was determining to know the
gentleman’s name. She had roughly estimated his going times to work so that she
can bump into him. She dressed up in a beautiful white and black dress that seemed
to capture her confused mood. As timed she bumped into him. As they sat together
again next to each other, the journey to work seemed like a life’s journey, of
problems left behind, of life stress and struggles long forgotten. He told her his
name for the first time. “It’s Robert he said, giving her that smiled she had grown to
trust and which seemed to brighten her darkest mood. Today was slightly different
though, he told her about his love for poetry. She found herself wondering how is it
possible that someone can know her so well and love the same things that she
loved. She had made it a point to avoid relationships in her life. As she found them
tiring, pointless and time waster but for the very first time she looked into his eyes
and wondered if she had meet her soul mate.

But before long she had to get off or she would miss her stop. She looked into his
eyes for the last time with a sad smile on her face and somewhere in those beautiful
kind eyes she knew that he will never ask for her numbers and today was the last
time she will gaze into those memorising, kind eyes. So she decided to close the
chapter as she was moving places that day. She had found a new accommodation
closer to work. Her ride in the taxi with gentleman has come to an end. So she
wrote a poem in her diary to keep him close always.

O black brother….

Has life’s toil made you fearful of the unknown?

Tell me have the fighting to survive and your hard sweat fallen unheard on the soil…
Has life struggles robbed you of your happiness and trust.
Tell me has the world shuttered your dreams to the beauty in front...

O black brother has the night brought about terror of the unknown...
Have you been robbed of your dreams?
Tell me have life challenges turn your dreams to dust.
Have your eyes turn to rust...
Has hurt aged in you?
Tell me has life’s doom won…
Has loneliness become your fort…?
Can you not hear a hearts cry from afar?

O strong black brother what has happened…?

What changed…?
Your trust has been ripped from you...
Speak to me what destroyed that free heart...
Has hope flickered dead in your soul…?
Tell me has violent turned your heart to stone.
Has your heart hardened to the love in front…?

She looked long and hard at the last line of the poem. Sibongile was suddenly
startled by Yonela’s voice as she happily chirped “Sibongile there’s a Robert looking
for you with flowers in his hands…”

Written By Thandiwe Brenda Shezi

My name is Thandiwe Brenda Shezi; I declare that the attached story is my original
work. Date: 19 September 2014 Signature: TBShezi