Tuesday, August 27, 2013

I Am A Black Woman

I
am a black woman
tall as a cypress
strong
beyond all definition still
defying place
and time
and circumstance
assailed
impervious
indestructible
Look
on me and be
renewed

I Am A Black Woman by Mari Evans

I love this poem so much.
I love it for the time within which it was written. The last three lines are the best.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Invictus by William Ernest Henley (1849–1903)

OUT of the night that covers me,
  Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
  For my unconquerable soul.
  
In the fell clutch of circumstance        
  I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
  My head is bloody, but unbowed.
  
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
  Looms but the Horror of the shade,  
And yet the menace of the years
  Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
  
It matters not how strait the gate,
  How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
  I am the captain of my soul.


William Henley was born on this day 23, August, the same day I was born.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

The Vision and Women in the context of South Africa

My article in the women's month edition 2013 of The Thinker journal. Not as brilliant as the one I wrote last year but it's okay.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Heaven is here

Heaven is here 
It is not leaving this time around
Something's gotta give 
And heaven is not letting go
Feel the cloud fall on you like a blanket
don't worry if you stagger
Great priests of old have fallen
Not from sin but under glory
Unable to perform their duties
Those who have disbelieved
Words 
given to them by angels
Have been dumbstruck for nine months
What are you going to do
When an angel comes knocking 
When he starts telling you things you have never heard
What are you going to do
Heaven is here
This time it will not lift
It wants in
Something must come out
What does heaven look like anyway
Don't worry 
It won't wait for you to wonder this time around
I don't want to be dumbstruck like Zacharias 
I just want to be like Mary 
I just want to believe
However great heaven looks like
Heaven is here and it ain't liftin this time

Heaven is here by Siki Dlanga 

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Yes I am a Poet. I am an Illustrator.

Yes I am a Poet
I am an Illustrator
I write on the grains of the earth
On the coast of the tip of Africa
I write so that words of life will be blown by the wind of the ocean
Transported to the body of the continent
I write so that the wind would whisper the identity of the child in Congo to know that she, he has worth unmeasurable
I write so that the wind will sing to the refugee looking for the hope of peace
That hope and peace is possible in a hopeless land
I draw in the sky
So that the wind will lift it up to the clouds
Let the clouds interpret it over every nation to see
More
To wonder
To question
To hope
To find
To not stop until their neighbours too have their inheritance
I write at the tip of Africa
Where Mandela learnt wisdom
I let the wind blow the words
To every nation of the earth
I let the ocean carry it wherever it wishes
Washes it off like a shell
So that the old man in China
Will also pick up his pen
And tell us things
We have never before
Heard

Poem & Illustration By Siki Dlanga
Last day of the campaign
www.thundafund.com/sikidlanga

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Prisoner of Hope

'Prisoner of Hope' is one of the poems in my book 'Word of Worth'

One reader of 'Word of Worth' wrote on facebook today:

"I'm reading 'Word of Worth' right about now... What a captivating and addictive book Big up's Siki Dlanga"

This was so great to read as I have four days left before my www.thundafund.com/sikidlanga campaign is over. It was just the encouragement I needed to keep going with my campaign. Just to know that it is truly going to bless someone and that it is blessing someone right now. I am thankful for that response though from time to time people have expressed those very same words from time to time.

3 more days support www.thundafund.com/sikidlanga

Almost An Open Letter to Satan

Dear Mr Satan,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       I really don't need to put up an application form for you to leave me alone. Jesus showed up Himself triumphant and took the keys of hades and death from your hand, as you shivered and quacked begging for your life...(oopse death). Ndiyeke qha, in English, 'leave me alone'. Read the sign on my forehead it's not 666 it's a Holy Spirit seal. Me and you have nothing to talk to one another about. In fact, you can't even glance my direction, not because of any powers of my own of course but out of sheer respect for what the power of Christ may just do to you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Don't force me to write an open letter to you and make this matter any more public than it already is.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Remember Who is Lord because I do.                                                                                                                                                                                                      Signed                                                                                                                         
with the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Thursday, August 1, 2013

THESE THREE REMAIN

When all is done, all is accomplished, all is pursued, there is a reason why it is written that these are the THREE that matter. There is a reason why these are the things that remain forever. 

"Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13

Our faith is more precious than gold, it gets tested, so we better esteem faith more than gold. Would it not be great to be known as a faith digger than a gold digger? Seeing that faith is more valuable than gold? Just a thought.

Faith - Jesus is the author and finisher/perfector of our faith.
Hope - hope gets tested in perseverance. God calls Himself the God of Hope. That tells you something about Hope. Hope is pretty big!
Love - we know that love matters because without love whatever we accomplish is burnt in the fire if it is without love, it is simply not beautiful, not acceptable, not worthy.

Thoughts on HOPE:

Romans 5 tells us that Hope is a matter of CHARACTER. I never realised that. Hope is serious. If you think about it, it takes a whole lot of character to keep your hope up! Giving up and letting go of your hope is an easier option. You quickly releave yourself from possible disappointments. Hope requires persisting in the hope, hope against hope as described by Romans 4.

 "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed..." - Romans 4:18

Romans 5 lists the order like this. 
# 1 SUFFER
# 2 PERSEVERE
# 3 CHARACTER
# 4 HOPE

Thus number 4 is achieved as a result of being able to go through the others. That said, one needs hope when they are suffering, in order to overcome suffering. But I am wrong, it is joy that takes you through suffering. James 1 says "Count it all joy when you go through various trials, knowing the testing of your faith produces patience."

Hebrews 12 says "For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross."

These three remain, Faith, Hope, Love.
I wondered why faith came before hope. Faith enables you to keep your hopes up, when you have hope it means that your faith is going through the fire and it is being tested and refined and you are gaining character to keep going and keep hoping.

So let us keep our hopes UP! God enables us!

"Say"

A window into my book Word of Worth.

There are 9 Days left of the campaign from tomorrow. What a journey it's been! I have never experienced anything like it. You can still support me on this land mark moment
www.thundafund.com/sikidlanga

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