Praise to Mahlangu
Dear World,
If you ever need an anthology to pick up, I recently read Surviving Loss by Busiswe Mahlangu, it is a collection of carefully curated poems surrounding loss, femininity and abuse. Her poetry is raw, and stirs the inner parts of yourself that wish to remain silent.
One of her most adored poems by me, is ‘This is Yours’ which describes the parts of yourself that are broken yet still belong to you. It’s a confusing idea, that even when you are fractured and splintered, you can still “make home with your body” as she eloquently states alongside a “silent resurrection.”
Her story continues in ‘Boy Breaking’ that exposes a harsh truth of a relationship where one breaks, tries to repair in a rinse and repeat cycle. Even when the speaker can “find tape” it can never replace the broken cups, doors, roofs or the fact that the speaker’s partner touches everything “with blood on his fingers” despite both the speaker’s partner, and herself “leaking air” from each others lungs.
Although I have had this anthology for three years, after Malhangu came to present a collection of her most infamous poems at our school, its messaging and realistic storytelling is mature and requires a dive into the complexities of the human heart.
I highly recommend her novel, alongside a call to never ignore up and coming South African poets, who, in my humble opinion, have increasingly unique perspectives on the world
From
Juhi
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