Avbob poetry competition

The 2025 AVBOB Poetry Competition opened last month for entries in all 11 official written languages. Once again, generous cash prizes will be awarded to the winning entries. We’re also excited that the winners of the previous competition will be announced this month at the 2024 AVBOB Poetry Gala on 18 September 2024. Visit the AVBOB Poetry website to submit up to 10 entries by 30 November 2024. Don’t wait until the end of November to enter! Visit www.avbobpoetry.co.za to register and submit your entries. #AVBOBPoetry #2025PoetryCompetition

Calls for submission

Fully sponsored by TheNextStar South Africa, SageAtWords South Africa exists to reward and celebrate South African poets and spoken words artists. We have now opened registration for our widely acclaimed Spoken Words Contest - September 2024. To register, visit https://sageatwords.co.za/contest or visit the link in our bio. Registration is FREE. Registration ends September 11th 2024.

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Sitting here listening to my heartbeat, beating fast
Which makes it so hard to control my breathing rate
Am boiling inside.
That's how the rate of my anger
Which after comes with dizziness
How I wish this could stop
But keeps recurring again and again
Listening to music just pushes down tears
Well, don't I deserve a peace of mind?
I hate fighting with the inner self.
I try to reason with every small questions I get
Trying to reason why I still deserve to live,
Even though I still see how we are failing,
Us, inner self, and me.
Inner self protested, also stating how tired she was.
How draining it is to listen to same words again and again!
With no luck in finding a solution.
I wish I could end all of it
But being told "it's not a solution" makes me wonder if, will I ever find one.

She left

How I wish I could stop you from leaving But I know I can't stop your heart from leaving too I wish I never lied to my heart That you're going to stay forever You're the one for me I don't mean to be selfish or let my heart be! It hurt without you around Now I can't save my heart into sinking in this sorrows with me Knowing very well that I will never see you again hurt even more Blaming me doesn't help I couldn't be better for you But my heart still yearns for you It still embrace all good memories we had How I wish it could stop nagging me, as I am hurting too How I took the defeat Even though I still feel the spark for hope Which makes it harder for me day by day But how can I hold to it, While I see you happy with other man How do I even narrate it to my heart For it to settle down And take the defeat as I already did

I loved you

I wish I could return back all those words, I said to you! Now they are hunting me day and night I wish I could have controlled my anger towards you Now those mean words they turn out to paint me with black paint I pray every day so that I can forgive you and myself But am failing again and again I try to accept that your gone, still I fail I’ve been not sleeping for countless of time Sometimes waking up with dry tears on my cheeks I thought am strong but am failing You really left a big wound in my life, that doesn’t want to ever heal Will I ever heal though? I loved you and I still do! Pity, who knows if you still do or even remember that you once did. I wish your selfish heart didn’t do this to me I still dream of your face,time to time Wish I could accept that I will never see your smile again But my heart still cheat me, to let you go Like the way you cheated on me without even thinking twice. I sometimes don’t understand why I can’t just get rid of my mind As you already did lot of damage in my life You broke every little promise that I had hope you would fulfill Just the way you broke my heart And moved on like, I meant nothing to you.

In You, I See Love

In you, I've seen love. In you, I've seen an angel. Your smile captured my heart the first time I saw you. The melody of your voice turned into a song for my ears. The way you looked at me, I knew fate had brought us together. On the way, we made many promises and failed to fulfill others. But still, that didn’t stop our love from blossoming. Now, my love, do not listen to outsiders; All they are trying to do is break us apart. Please, I beg, Don’t let outsiders intrude on our honeymoon, For they will leave you shattered with rumors. They are jealous of our blossoming tree, They want to destroy the roots of our love. Watch out, my love! Not everyone loves to see us happy.

Take me back home!

Take me back home, Where the warmest love came from mother, Where loyalty is not a choice but culture. Take me back home, Where tears were only for joy, Because of the laughters you get around family. Take me back home, where cheating is like a forbidden fruit, If you cheat, it brings curse to your generation. Take me back home, Where the only chest I lean on, is my mother's chest As I feel safer and loved unconditionally. Take me back home, So that I can heal from this pain, scars, betrayal I got from streets, As mother's love never stopped loving me. Being home is the only remedy for my healing.

Like my shadow

If you were worth to be called a shadow Then I'll say you're my shadow For you never left my side You stood by me at my worst When the darkness was tickling You had always been there to brighten my days When I went East with the wind You were always there to lead me To take me to the right path.

First love, first break up.

Look at me—

I’m sitting on my bed,

Tears running nonstop,

Thinking about you continuously,

Blaming myself, all in all,

Asking myself, do you even miss me?

I don’t know what to say.

Must I say I’m grieving for our relationship?

Rather, say I’m in denial that it’s really over.

I still have your photos on my phone.

Yes, I have them right; I can’t just move on.

You’re the first person who made me believe in my dreams.

Now you are gone, and I feel lost in the dark.

I loved you wholeheartedly.

First love, first break up indeed.
.

I am scared!

I thought hearing your voice one day

Would make me feel better,

Remove all the pain I felt

After you left me.

But now I am scared.

Your voice takes me back to where it started:

How you broke my heart

And showed no remorse in it.

Now you're showing interest again.

Yes, you miss me because I do too,

But I am scared.

I’ve been giving you lots of chances,

And all you did was ruin them all.

How will I even trust you again?

I wish I had answers to my queries.

I should be happy, but I am scared.

I don’t even know how to react to this.

I thought I knew, but now I don’t.

I am really scared.

I am scared to open my heart again

And let you in, as all

You do is break it.

..by Wessy peace©

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I still have hope!

I still have hope,
Hope that one day you will wake up and see that I loved you.
Hope that one day you will change,
That you will stop hurting me,
Knowing very well that I don’t deserve it.
Hope that all this will end and we will get back to each other again.
I am in pain; I can’t accept that you’re gone.
You left me while I still love you.
I wish I knew how to stop loving you,
Even though you hurt me like this.
I still can’t deal with the void of not having you around.
I wish I was telling the truth when I said I hate you.
I thought those words would close the void,
But still, I can’t move on.
I can’t sleep at night without seeing your face.
I am trying to be strong, but it’s like I am getting weaker instead.
I can’t forgive you for betraying me,
For abandoning me when I needed you.
I loved you, I loved you,
Still, you left me like I meant nothing to you.
But I still have hope despite all that’s happening.

By Wessy peace the poet✍️

Fading Echoes of Us

Every night, I shed tears  

When I think of you—  

How we used to be one.  

I loved you,  

Yet you still left me.  

Ask my pillow and sheets;  

I would change them every day,  

Only to come back and find them wet again.  

Nothing breaks my heart more than that.  

When I remember all our memories,  

My tears fall like uncontrollable rain.  

You were part of my future and my present,  

But that was wiped away by your hurtful words.  

Now you’re ignoring me,  

As if we were never one before.

...by wessy peace the poet.