I have seen women

 whose eyes are wild

throw back their heads

and open their arms wide,

to shout it out to the rest of the world

"ukuza kukuzolula!!!!"

they shout at the top of their lungs,

rejoicing in the beauty of birth.

While they bend over and pay

for the sins of their sons.

Through these eyes

I have seen innocent sonons

turn their backs on

the teachings of their fathers

only to become....

 Ashes to ashes

Dust to dust.

 Mothers weep at the graves

of their futures.

They watch as their dreams

come tumbling before them.

 I have seen daughters

decide to dine

with men who provide

only to become....

 (at sixteen) "Push! Push!"

She spreads her legs and screams,

the pain is too much to bear

My Goodness! they can almost see the head!

She wipes the sweat from her brow

as she is introduced to her new-born son.

 And so the cycle continues;

she gave birth to a son,

yet another mother is going to cry

Let us prepare for the next funeral!

 These are just some of the things

that I have seen

through my eyes.

 So when these eyes can no longer see.

When these eyes are dead and still

and my remains lie buried beneath.

I hope that from this poem,

the future will be able to tell

the stories that I have seen

through my eyes.