Kierkegaard

[by Delah Dube for Hearts Unfiltered, Edition II]

photograph of the author

Key words: introspection, storytelling, Rebirth, Purpose, Commitment

Written by Delah Dube, this is a profound poetry artwork that explores the life of a creative whose bittersweet experiences give way to a process of transformation. It was portrayed as rebirth of oneself, where the parts of her that hindered her from moving on had to die for a reincarnation to take place. This is an affirmation of one’s purpose, reflection of their inspiration, alignment to their faith, and a commitment to tell nuanced stories through their whole being. However, this new path comes with its challenges, as do all meaningful things.

“The self is not something simply given. It is something to be achieved.”

— The Sickness Unto Death

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Poison ivy and

Creeping thistles of despair

bloom wild like mushrooms

Over the world I left behind

When you’re caught in the Devil’s snare

Only eternal love

can demystify

The aerosol field

Of lilac fumes

and carnal allure

that bamboozles the intelligent fool

Many moons watered

these fruits of Patience

to fullness

Led by a trail of sunflower droppings,

Sanctified were these hands

Lifted in ceaseless supplication

Anointing for my head

Dipped in Poetic Scripture

As I Experienced

the death of

several selves

Mounting at the precipice of my becoming

The metamorphosis of each

impoverished cell

As a new being took form

Sending a chain reaction,

A ripple across timelines

Sprouting from muck and grime

An exquisite diamond

Excavated from the mines of Debswana

Downstream the Metsimotlhabe river

Buried alive

Only to survive

not just to tell her own story

But to herald those

too (multi) to be simplified

Too Bitter

to be caramelized

Yet internalised –

graphic like visualisers

Intersectional beneath the grid

Unseen and untouchable like

Nuns in an abbey or bad stocks on the market

Stale bread in the stall

A leper on the streets

A transmittable Disease

Mould in the closet

Surging out of each opening as white as a thousand pearls or as black as surgically extracted caviar

Through Scripts and memory

hooks and bars

Bursts of creative electricity

Or intense stillness – Haptic touch

A student of empathy

Through the Characters embodied

Holding Humanity to a universal standard

For it knows all races, sexes, nationalities and genders

Play// tension

Poly

Imagination//block and gray

Where my words end my body moves setting into motion

These emotions

Spill over and flood the room

Oceans and typhoons

This is holy ground

take your ego and your shoes off.

For they stain the soul

Making it no easier to control

the path to mastery is an uphill journey

Rocky and steep

Footsteps misguided

When wisdom falls short

Navigating the untraveled road as a

Multidisciplinaire without the discipline

Can cost your sanity

commitments stacked up like prison towers

Slave to my ambition?

A hit to the creative jugular

When details slip through my fingers

And I miss the mark

A student to the game

Picking up tools to the trade

Lord keep me from spiraling

Need a sec or two to find my bearings

A sweet escape

A reminder that God is in control

And I’m a soldier climbing up his shoulders

With renewed strength

I learn as I grow

Wisdom with each breath

I’m here to stay

to be born again.

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About the Contributor

Delah Dube is a visionary artist who uses music, poetry and creative direction to experience and relay stories to the world. She explores themes of afro-futurism, cultural diversity, societal flaws, identity and healing in her art. Delah has showcased work on notable stages such as TEDx, Sofar Sounds, Commonwealth Youth Forum (Kigali), Women, Wine & Words in Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), Sawubona Music Jam in South Africa, and Bingsjöstämman in Sweden. She's currently working on her debut EP titled, "Hinc Orior", to be released this summer.