TO MY LOVE IN JOHANNESBURG

In the midst of the skyscraper jungle
Harbouring the human flora and fauna,
Of this rainbow nation,
The well in which all Africa quenches their thirsty,
Lies the one whom I love,
The one whom I need,
The one whom I adore,
The one whom I cherish.

Kelebokgile! My cyberspace lover.
Separated over a distance of a thousand kilometers,
Yet kept in touch through the click of a mouse,
Through sms
Through phone calls.

Do you recall the time when we first fell in love beautiful one?
My cellphone battery fell flat as we spoke and texted endlessly,
I walked all the way home when my bus fare was squandered in the internet café,
All was worth the expense,
After all love is like marijuana, it drives its victims into lunacy.

All my inboxes are brimming with your messages
Your e-mails surpass junk mail
Your text messages exhausted all the memory space in my phone
If the world could read all these
Love will earn a new name.

All your messages refreshed my spirit,
Rekindled my hopes,
Rejuvenated my energy
Renewed my inner being, and
Revived my life

I basked in your splendor,
Drowned in the deep end of the pool of your love,
Overwhelmed by your domination despite the distance.
I spoke to myself in broad daylight
Laughed by myself in solitude
And smiled in my dreams
Only love can turn the heart of a man topsy turvy.

I waited patiently for the day when we were to meet,
To hold you in my arms
To walk with you in the rain
To count the stars for you in the night
To kiss away all the pain of past disappointment
To make to love to you till dawn.

Alas, the day never came
The woman who stole my heart disappeared instantaneously
Like fire sparks in an African winter night
Like darkness at the appearance of light
Leaving me stunned like a champion losing to an amateur.

I am shocked by your disappearance
Too shocked to utter a word
Silent!
Bemused!
Traumatized!
Taken aback!

Why?
Why my sweetness?
Why my love?

Whence gone thou love my cherry?
Your love as sweet as the sun in winter
Your love as beautiful as your face on Facebook
Facebook that gave birth to our love
Facebook that brought two distant souls into a cyber love nest

You babe?
You who claimed to be older than your age
You who claimed men know not what they need in life
You who promised never to desert me
Saying I am the Prince succeeding the toads?

Has Johannesburg ingested you up in its myriad of social creeks and crevices?
Or maybe elevated you high up in the rain forest of its skyscrapers?
Whence you no longer feel the need of love?
Whence you no longer love as you used to?
Johannesburg can be nice,
Johannesburg can be nasty,
Johannesburg is like the internet
You can get anything you need

I found love in Johannesburg,
Using the internet,
I enjoyed love
Tucked far away in the City of Gold

I do read your e-mails, yours sms’s
And they still sound sweet,
As sweet as the very first time I read them
They have proved a good source of comfort

I still love my dear
I still care
I still need your love babe

When you read this ode my love
When you reflect, and
When you think about this
Always know, and always put it in your mind,
The megabyte space in my heart is for you.

Takawira Dururu Ringisai
26.10.09 6-10pm
Hatley Court
© 2009