The Night Dares Me To Stop Breathing Poem by Angela Bontle Ditumiso

The night dares me to stop breathing
Dares me to coerce my body to shut down
Dares me to make myself to stop breathing
I say, No!

A void
That's what I have within me
An emptiness that grows and grows
An emptiness that eats at me
There's nothing to me within this casing
There's nothing to my name
Callouses on my hands,
I keep slaving but I can stop
Drowning in the quicksand of poverty
My skin is cracked with need
But I keep waiting for a better day
The day dawn will unveil itself
And the budding flowers bloom

The night dares me to stop breathing
Dares me to coerce my body to shut down
Dares me to make myself to stop breathing
Again I say, No!