Housed By Hell Poem by Angela Bontle Ditumiso

What you don't know is
She has been kissed by the floor
More than her husband
It has cuddled with her on many nights
Comforted her
Soothed her of the pain she felt
The tiles more reliable than him
Their coldness gives her hope
That hell too can breathe cool minty air

What you know is
Her shyness
A reason for her silence
What if I said it's all a pretense
Her house knows of her screams
How she wails throughout the night
Her mirror knows her real face
It gets to witness the bruises
All you see is perfect makeup
Her shy smile and how
She's always staring at her feet
Looking at
Is she looking at invisible fetters?