Misunderstood

Poets are almost hidden from the fabric of society Their role is misconstrued and mismanaged by academicians and politicians Poets are anonymous witnesses to the brutality of life As well as being the receptacles of the goodness of life Their acute sense of humanity is often brutalized Or sometimes vandalized by the insensitive nature of some people in our society Their desire to change the world goes unnoticed by the mainstream media Even religious dogma does not define the role of Poets But the foundation of religion was most probably assembled by Poets And distorted by the mainstream culture Poets are not just madly in love with the flow of ink Their mandate is bigger than we will ever imagine Like an old bridge that is neglected Poets are always bridging the gap between insanity and sanity Holding cords of uncertainty and brushing away fear Poems are not like a beautiful weaved web of lies Poets transcend the very fabric of illusion that is pasted on life Transmuting a lone song of sorrow, pain and loneliness Into a beautiful melody of hope, peace and Love Occasionally, poets are compelled to stand on the summit of existence And declare themselves mad beyond imagination This is not attention-seeking behaviour This is the clarity that consumes many poets Their consciousness has been ignited And all the fibres of the unconscious mind have been revealed It is true that all of the constructed reality today is not real But poets have a way of penetrating beyond the veil of logic And displaying the reality that lies beyond reason With words, poets are deliberately dissecting the body of consciousness Illuminating the inner bowels of existence With words, poets are paving the way back To the inner beauty that lies in our souls ©Kenneth Maswabi