I Knew A Girl Once By Lebogang Mashile

I knew a girl once who lived in a house made of skin
With the spine of time stretched through it
The slightest wind would make it spin
It trapped a symphony of voices
An escalading cacophony of whirlwinds
Each one a pinpoint in time
An etched groove in her mind
But she refused to unravel
Terrified of what she might find

Instead she spent her days living from the outside in
She wore badges of silence
And learned to bend with most winds
And when the horns would blow
She’d let their fury reign from within
Protected by falsehoods and pride
A thick societal skin
But to the world she glowed
Like the moon and sun’s origins
Wrapped up in someone else’s skin
That’s when the whispers begin
That she was coloured by incest
Coloured by date rape
Coloured by pretense
False representations
False mandates

Open your eyes
Realize when your true voice calls
That no lies will hold it within
Every day of your life a new truth you will write
But with your eyes closed you will spin

Open your eyes
Realize when your true voice calls
That no lies will hold it within
Every day of your life a new truth you will write
But with your eyes closed you will spin

Open your eyes
Realize when your true voice calls
That no lies will hold it within
Every day of your life a new truth you will write
But with your eyes closed you will spin