What happens when safety itself becomes temporary?
Introduction by Terry-Jo Thorne (Researcher)
Poems selected by Alex Gwaze (Curator) & Terry-Jo Thorne
When things start to fall apart, we find ourselves existing within harm rather than after it. The world turns catastrophe, displacement, and grief into a relentless loop. Even when hope appears, it is hard-won and fragile, never triumphant. Emotion is not experienced sequentially but endured — muffled, deferred, felt somatically through skin, breath, and meditation rather than spoken aloud. Here, trauma precedes language, and the words we find become attempts to translate what cannot fully be said, yet are necessary for healing. What emerges is not redemption, but resilience — held in repetition, in the struggle, and in fleeting moments of remembered calm.
The World Keeps Ending
BY CAESAR ELDRIDGE LUNGU
Zambian creative writer, poet, and storyteller. He is the founder of Closet of Mixed Minds, an online curated platform for readers and writers. His work has been featured in Ubwali Magazine, Venus Media, and Fitabo.
Like a song
Playing on a broken vinyl.
One minute we are dancing,
The next minute we are holding our breaths;
air is poisoned.
The next minute we are looped in chaos;
Looting and shooting,
clatter, clang, collision.
The next minute we are holding hands in prayer,
Or in despair;
fleeing —
a country,
Or from an abusive spouse,
obsessed with making peace signs
without the index finger; fists linger.
The next minute we are holding a corpse,
Or a prison sentence,
Screams swallowed.
The next minute, we are holding ashes —
still mouthing the lyrics; tongues ablaze
And the echo repeats.
My Soul My Soul
BY EMANUELENE ANESU MASHAVA
Zimbabwean multidisciplinary artist working across film, theatre, poetry, stop-motion animation, and immersive 3D VR game development. She has performed in films screened at SATOMBE and ZIFTAs, as well as in NAMA Award–winning stage productions. She is also a set designer who has worked for Magamba TV, Shoko Festival, and Matamba Film Labs for Women.
It’s been long since I’ve been free
I used to keep quiet, suffering in silence, unseen
I used to experience inner turmoil, a constant fight
Like feeling hopeless, lost in the dark of night
Like feeling useless, a weight I couldn’t shake
Like feeling helpless, with no escape
Like feeling lost, with no direction or guide
My inner self was battling with emotions, a heavy tide.
A burden of the untold and unspoken, was crashing me slow
Like a stormy sea, with waves of anxiety
A light that’s dim, flickering out, leaving me in the dark
A scream that’s trapped, with no escape, a desperate mark
I felt like I was drawing in darkness, lost and alone
I felt like crying, but tears wouldn’t come, a heart of stone
I felt like my soul was trapped in silence, a prisoner of my mind
I felt like I was drowning, with no one to save me, left behind.
A voice that muffled, barely a whisper, a cry for help
A bittersweet reminder, of love that’s gone, a memory that yelp
Memory that etched my mind, impossible to erase
Memory that’s shrouded in fog, impossible to grasp
Memory lost in time, like Autumn leaves scattered
Memory of laughter, now just an echo, a hollow sound
Memory whispering lies of what I will never have
A constant reminder, of what I lost, a heart that’s grave
But still I breathe, though my heart is heavy
Still I rise, though my soul is weary
I search for answers, in the dark of night
I reach for the light, a guiding star, a beacon of hope, a gentle light
I am not alone, though it feels like it is
I am strong, though I feel broken inside
I will rise above, the waves of pain
I will find my voice, and let my spirit reign.
For every night, has an end, a new dawn breaks
A new chance to heal, a new path to make
The sun will shine, the clouds will part
And I’ll find my way, to a brand new heart.
I’ll rise with the morning, and shake off the night
I’ll let go of the pain, and make room for the light
I’ll find my voice, and let it be heard
I’ll let my spirit soar, and be free, unbound by the hurt.
For I am a warrior, a survivor, a child of the divine
I am a masterpiece, a work of art, a heart that’s mine
I am not defined, by my past or my pain
I am a conqueror, a winner, a soul that’s meant to reign.
Hope is rising, like a phoenix from the ashes
A flame that flickers, a light that clashes
With the darkness, the fear, the doubt
But still I rise, I rise, I rise, without a shout.
I am the master, of my fate, my soul
I am the captain, of my heart, my spirit’s whole
I will not be defeated, I will not give up the fight
For I am a warrior, a champion, a shining light.
I Was Safe
BY MALACHITE ONYX WRIGHT
Zambian writer drawn to the shadowed edges of thriller, mystery, fantasy, and romance, where reality frays and the unknown whispers back. With a poetic pulse, he weaves haunting narratives that linger, full of emotion, suspense, and the surreal. Beyond writing, he channels his vision through poetry and art, turning imagination into something vividly alive.
For a second, I float on soothing summer sunsets that soothe my soul,
And in that moment, the storm in my head is quiet.
Days daze and drift away as I dare to remember days of daisies and dares.
My child-self clings to every comforting corner of this quiet moment.
In the hush, the tick-tock of an old lullaby clock leads me home.
For a moment, I spin like a child on a swing, fearless and free.
And for a heartbeat, I remember who I was before I cared, before I felt unseen.
Memory becomes a quiet playground where lost laughter still echoes.
Nostalgia, gentle caretaker, tucks me in with dreams stitched from yesterday.
In this haze of memory, the air smells of rain on warm grass.
Beneath cotton-candy clouds and lemonade light, I am cradled in peace.
For a second, I feel safe in my own skin again.
Cover image a surrealist art piece titled “Dissatisfaction” by the Ghanaian photographer Nana Frimpong Oduro, also known as Frizzle. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn4kOlsMOmL/?img_index=1
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