Lost in tongues anthology

Compiled and edited by Thuthukani Ndlovu

The Creation We boast about the spoken word We make ostentatious claims about being the origination Of the spoken word, let me twist your minds a little bit Reengineer them to the stark truth that...in the beginning Was the word and the word was with God and the word was God We boast about how we are superstars, how we shimmer and Shine, the world revolving around the… Me movement Did you know he made two great lights the lesser to rule by Night and the greater to rule by day, he made the stars also Like an afterthought…

I admit stars are quite fetching I`ll have you know I have nothing against stars, human or In the sky but really, your obsession is to be a star, your greatest ambition Shining a little dimmer?

Allow me to make this stage my platform, this world my stage, this moment a sense Moment, this spoken word piece capture your attention see, He is the spoken word, the author of Creation The reason indivisible particles scrambled to pay obeisance to His voice in the beginning causing darkness to scamper fragmented portions and elements The simplest rudiments of the alphabet in the unseen world combining effort to tangibly precipitate the vascular membrane of His command LET THERE BE LIGHT! And there was light So from inexistence the creative power of God pulled out light from darkness like a hand His Spoken word, that in my catatonic state navigates my feet, re routes them consummately to his will teaches my mind to war, my flesh to pick up aversions to sin called sin sickness so much that, Sea sickness is envious for days So now he indwells us meaning that what he is has now rubbed off on us We have become a written script hence we bring forth spoken word We speak oracles, proverbs and psalms for his word have we hidden In the caves, vaults, safes and crevices of our hearts that we may not sin against Him…

When we speak this spoken word that is his word Our words become testimonials, we rise and become what he says we are Triple b wonders blood bought, blessed and beautiful We shine with the purposes of heaven intent on being the difference Inference, interjection of truth, in a hugely deprived society This spoken word In a world with unbalanced theology, blame shifters, finger pointers Masqueraders of shallow beliefs built on a system of bigotry Stuck on Neanderthal mode This spoken word The defining concept of God Even Nehanda spoke of musikavanhu The Rasta Fari movement speaks of a single god Components of its movements pivoted on a person Muslims do Mohammed We speak of Jesus Christ The word that became flesh Isn`t it fair then to agree that there is no smoke without A fire God does exist?

In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God Let there be light he spoke and there was light He is the spoken word The origin of the spoken word The author and definer of Creation .

(Click here to read the poem in Shona) Š Umind?! (2013)

Your praise, My delight The sound of my alarm, 5am it reads A descendant of Adam About but my scorecard? “Jesus” it reads I can still breathe today! I feel like I’m new today!

The sun shining through my window – it’s a new “today”!

Your praise will forever be on my lips!

I roll my body over to the edge of the bed, really feeling weary Sit on that edge, rub my eyes, my breathe is kinda scary Stretch my arms wide open, a little yawn emerges I’m alive today! New mercies, new grace and fresh coffee waits Your praise is all I know, let me extol You Lord!

Rocking on that chair. Coffee and Bible in hands As the sweet Colombian coffee aroma hits my nostrils I remember with joy that we are the aroma of Christ to God I behold your Word and get comfort – the cross got me a wedding band – I’m Yours!

So my soul will seek to praise Your name! Lover of my soul!

Fresh air flies through my office windows, a reminder of your greatness I get a text response from my mama saying she is well My friend still managed to come for our meeting – I am thankful even in her lateness Sheppard got me that French toast from Choppies – my hands are oily and it aint hard to tell You deserve all the adoration, Lord! You are majestic in your ways!...

My day goes by, trials show me your great hand That you loved me to the point of death is baffling to my head All those nails you received should have been on me But its your tears and blood that the Jews did see Its your death that gave me life – I don’t understand why you did it!

Such love causes me to praise and thank you, and share you with the world!

My heart finds fulfilling and everlasting joy in knowing You My mind finds rest and peace as I know I am Yours Thank you for all those dark nights that you used to show me Your Son All those wet days where I was cold and miserable Yet your Word gave me heat and tucked me in bed-rest neatly My tongue is full of your goodness – all my words are a poem And you said I am Your own poem – make me rhyme and rhythm Your heart Make me love and adore You more!

Dear Lord, this is not just art. © Bruce Itai Chimani

Him Sometimes I find myself With unbridled ignorance Trying to describe Him My flat words fail to take flight And land flat on expectant or Couldn't-care-less ears I try to put Him In a box With a pretty red bow So I can give Him Away As a gift But He never seems to fit Might be luckier Wrapping up the universe I try to be like David Offering up psalm after psalm To Him Like sweet smelling incense But I stop I get caught up in my voice And forget Him When He gave it to me‌

He Is more than songs He Is more than words More than my life He Is the sum of all, everything is in Him And even more Unexplained Unexplainable I am glad It's beyond me What's in my power Is Too little I can only show you The things He Created The people The universe The animals From greatest To smallest Killer whale Dust mite Dust The known The unknown I think That's a pretty good place to start. Š Cat

(Click here to read the poem in Shona)

My Poetic Praise My poetic praise goes to my father, Who’s in Heaven above, God, the creator of the universe, And the best example of unconditional love, For He so loved the world That He gave His only begotten son, That whoever believes in Him shall not perish, But have eternal life because of what we become, So I’m glad that I became a child of God: An unashamed radical Christian.

It was not by my works, But by the amazing grace that God has given, For if it was not for His unconditional love, And His amazing grace, I would definitely be, In a worse-of place.

My poetic praise goes to my father: My ultimate protection, For He protects me from my enemies, Who only come to steal, kill and destroy my possessions, Now, if the blood of a lamb, Protected all the first born in Exodus from death, What more the actual blood of Jesus, That was shed on the cross till His last breath?

But we all know – Thank God – That it was not His last, For Jesus lives today, Because He rose from the dead after 2 days had passed.

So every time I feel, Like my plans and my purpose have died, I remember that God will protect His purpose, The same way He protected the purpose of Jesus, even after He was crucified. © Thuthukani Ndlovu

Terms and Conditions The world sent me a love letter as long as my existence But somewhere along the way lines got blurred My Titanic hit an iceberg and sink it did Remember that love letter they sent?

It disintegrated so quick only cheap insurance can compare Flipped the note backside up, to find a contract of love signed in my blood.

The love I thought it showed came with terms and conditions But unlike Dial direct I had a middle man And he did Outsurance me He did it all His Way, Covered my signature in His precious blood.

Your T&Cs no longer apply So, keep your cheap scam I’ve hit the mercy-load. Š Xolani Msimango

Why is it important to praise God everyday?(Part1) I see His infinite goodness everyday. I see it when I wake up. When I lay down. His glory is all over us, and what more can we do that says, “Great are You, Lord God Almighty!”

(Bruce Itai) Praise is an expression of Man's desire to commune with an Immortal God, who through the goodness of his nature grants us his mercy and faithfulness.

(Peter The Oracle) It’s important to praise God every day because he gave you this life and you should thank him for it. Praise opens doors and allows you to give God all your burdens.

(Purpose the Rap) I love a verse in Ecclesiastes 12 verse 13 that says “fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man” We praise Him daily because we love Him and secondly because it’s commanded us. Our relationship is maintained and sustained by our intimacy with God and praise and prayer is how we stay connected.

(Umind?! – Peggie Shangwa) By praising God, we are reminded of the greatness of God! His power and presence in our lives is reinforced in our understanding. "Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant" (Psalm 135v3) .

(Abotreh)

Words Words are powerful.

A simple, “I think she’s cute” can turn into “I think she’s interesting”, from interest to investments And with investments comes growth. This growth leads to “I like you”, from I like you to “I love you.”

You see God almighty created the heavens and the earth by simply speaking.

The power of the tongue runs our cities and towns but we load shed by speaking darkness on ourselves and others. He spoke stars in to existence, no wonder, we have celebrities thanking God for awards. But Ever since some got Oscars, it seems they shooting God down. No shade, cause the son has already gone down, to the grave and hell, to get the keys of life and death.

So next time, you utter a breath. Think, what would Christ say?

Your words produce your future like a kid using FL Studio for the first time. Think about the line better yet think about life, better yet think about your words.

Words? © Purpose the rap (Click here to read poem in Zulu)

Work in progress I’m a creature of habit, captivity is my habitat.

The past is my slave driver, guilt and shame her whiplashes.

In my prison I am home.

The past is my fortress, a refuge when the going’s tough.

I follow your lead but truth be told, I’m still rough.

I try to sensor what I consume but works don’t save me.

The past is an excuse, an alibi for not truly living.

I blame shift, deny and thrive in hiding from life.

Desire for holiness threatens my will to remain unchanged.

The past is my benefactor, a dictator.

She has taught, mentored and coached, “Resist change, frown upon freedom, treat truth with contempt.”

I’ve learnt, absorbed and submitted.

I do want change but I fear being rejected.

Hearsay is the reason for my hesitation.

My insecurity the main limitation.

Your followers say clean up.

Your enemies say give up.

I simply want to see you.

You are alive. You hear, feel and can choose.

I’m impressed by who you are that I’ll never be, challenged by who you are that I ought to be, I can’t fully comprehend who you are that I am.

I love what you do with who you are.

Not a figment of my imagination or an old wives’ tale.

Not an old bored fool seeking entertainment.

Not a sour dictator or an abusive father.

You are intimately involved, a cheerleader, communicative and a good leader, your heart can be hurt and your anger stirred, I would be concerned if you didn’t feel.

The past is unchangeable. I can be changed.

The past is rigid. I am teachable.

Reveal, restore, reset- my heart is of flesh. © Vimbai Mutimba

I’M BACK O God, here I am.

I have finally come.

Stomach empty; pocket empty .

Finally finally before Thee I stand weak; more than sick.

I had all the fun; put my trust in man but when my troubles appeared they simultaneously disappeared.

I lived in a fool's paradise where I was deceived by my eyes.

I thought I could do without You, Almighty You. O God, here I am.

I have finally come.

Stomach empty; pocket empty .

Accept me O Father; I am weaker.

I have been prodigal; I now choose to be frugal. Š Abotreh

The Lion of Judah roars Gilded with layers of dented facades Covered by a thick societal skin You won’t understand what these words mean Unless you take time to discover what lies within Our spines are bent from bowing down to the media birthed propaganda We the self-acclaimed Christians We claim to be touched by the spirit and saved on a Sunday service Only to leave our spirits smeared on top of the churches doors While in mourning for his people The lion of Judah roars.

While in mourning for His people The Lion of Judah roars Š Thando Nxabela

IN HIS IMAGE A tour I took To navigate most Inner part of my body temple Instantly! A need I felt To take stock and account For my human responsibilities Without sprinkles of bias A representative of YAHUA A deep sense of betrayal I felt Betrayal of his image DIVINE Others with a wink defile A highest state of life Man is accorded Perhaps to envy of most creation How man can survive An injury to another Is a mystery tower Growing mountain ranges Inside humbleness of me An ant I could have become A pig could have been my state A coil of a snake Could have been my reflection But a man I am Suffocating to what I failed To become in others Content with myself A luxury too daunting for me‌

When in my fellow brethren His image fails to reflect like mine Through me he resurrects Joy his condition becomes When a part of his role I can fulfill Thus enabling him space and time To focus on other pressing matters His kingdom dictates His overtime I curtail As in most of his duties I fill in Am I worthy to wear gear of his being?

If his load I cannot help unload Should I be the one causing him To work more over-time Am I my sister’s protector Am I my brother’s keeper In his image I know I am © Mxolisi Mabuya

TONGUES OF FREEDOM My ink drips to the silent words that slithered through my tongue in the sense of peace and broken minds Broken mirrors held me uptight when all i could swear on was the scriptures that made my pain go away A thousand times to an empty feeling, i roll to the sun ways.

To a prayer only a broken man who believes not could kneel for in times A scar that dims in the nights even when the light is switched on There’s a song of abbreviations and heart ache that doesn’t sing in me no more Reflected by a thousand melodies A melody that has no end but tunes me into God's lil angel Tongue twisted even beats loose the sympathy in them My heart comes written love not in times of desert and marks of Christ The tolds were never unfolded I found myself sipping in Glory and only scriptures could tell There’s a song that doesn’t sing in me no more © PoetMolz

Brooding nights And so there I lay, brooding over dark thoughts like a ZESA-less night My faith was bruised And I could feel the exhilaration of fear and the blood pounding on my chest I popped open my shirt and there was no S on my chest So, on his divine I had to incline and lean on the promises he had given me I was born to be more An eagle is destined to soar Yet, look through eyes and see the pain that floats in my mind Yet there is still praise coiled around my tongue So when I pray it’s like venom on hot coals I call on this God who unlades souls

So let me speak Hear these words that I speak My mind has been infused by the most high through divine encoding Dreams are the truth that I seek so when I speak do not envision nightmares For God so loved the world that his Divine Verb became flesh dressed in Nazarene robes Sustaining the infinite Godhead in himself yet humbly he chose to die on a cross But death was the life that man chose So his clothes they tore among those that cast lots Selah Still, heretics speak They tell me that the alchemy of logic states that reason is the only wise way to right living And religion is only but an opium to mass used intuition But the pain that I bleed on every page becomes the bar that incarcerates every thought that exalts itself above the knowledge of God For if this infinite God gave up his only son to redeem a lost humanity How can he not give me my daily bread?

Father hear our prayers for we are weak You see, every day we pray And every day we ask But… As we look at the sunset and are once again reminded that our days are but fleeting moments Filled with violence The violence to exist To live The violence to have meaning and purpose Yet empty tombs fill our minds We are like the dead but walking Struggling at vanity For the same senseless artifacts that will eventually be meaningless….

We are but children still Hear our cries See our pain And write in our hearts your love Let us feel WORTHY And as you rewrote darkness to an algorithm called universe Empty darkness into a life form of beauty and light Rewrite our nights into sunrises of dawn Repaint our pains into happiness Rebuild our form so that we can someday form with the Trinity a new future of eternal pleasure Where there will be no more need for tears No more need to kneel down and pray Because like the perfection of the Trinity We will be made perfect Dining with one Elohim Drinking from the river of life Speaking tongues within the silhouette of fires Let that someday never escape our minds as we await, As we await that day. Š Peter The Oracle

Why is it important to praise God?(Part2) When you praise God, you begin to release blessings into your life. Your victory also rests in establishing yourself in Him; and by praising God; you renew your spirit and mind in Christ like and Heavenly things. Although my life tends to get hectic and my schedule barely affords me the time to acknowledge My God in the way that I would love to, I find that just praying or asking him for strength still allows me the connection that I would want to feel if I were to set apart time to spend in His presence. We serve a personal God. And he allows us to glorify him through our thoughts, actions and works. The poem “The Lion of Judah roars” just reiterates that as Christians we should not become stagnant and complacent in the way we are. We tend to become comfortable; and forget the cause for which we got saved. The poem reminds us not to hide behind the title or identity being a “Christian” gives us but to renew ourselves and our spirits in order to fulfil our purpose as Christians.

(Thando Nxabela) As a person who is in relationship with a God who lives, feels and has a personality, it’s important to praise him daily because then he knows how much I appreciate him.

In doing so I also remind myself of the good things he has done and continues to do.

He inhabits the praises of his people… sounds important to me!

(Vimbai Mutimba) It’s important to me because my praise is what has taken me out of the difficult times. It’s important because as I praise I am reminded that there is none like him in the heaven above or the earth below.

(Xolani Msimango)

Full Name: Bruce Itai Chimani Stage Name: Bruce Itai Chimani Nationality: Zimbabwean Link: Blog www.ndinonzibruce.com

Full Name: Molly Thokwana Stage Name: Poet Molz Nationality: Motswana Link: (Blog) www.poetmollymolz.wordpress.com

Full Name: Mxolisi Mabuya Stage Name: The Champ Nationality: South African Link: (Facebook) Mxolisi Cassius Juice Mabuya

Full Name: Peggie Shangwa Stage Name: Umind?!

Nationality: Zimbabwean Link: (Facebook) https://www.facebook.com/Umind1377919029150962/

Full Name: Xolani Msimango Stage Name: X Nationality: South African Link: www.reintroductionofme.tumblr.com

Full Name: Evans Kissi Owusu Stage Name: Abotreh Nationality: Ghanaian Link: (Blog) www.abotreh.wordpress.com

Full Name: Vimbainashe Grace Mutimba Stage Name: Vimbai Mutimba Nationality: Zimbabwean Link: (Facebook) Vimbai Mutimba

Full Name: Thuthukani Ndlovu Stage Name: Thuthukani Ndlovu Nationality: Zimbabwean Link: (Blog) www.radioactivetuts.blogspot.com

Full Name: Cathrine Chidawanyika Makuvise Stage Name: Cat Nationality: Zimbabwean Link: http://kalabashmedia.com/?s=cathrine+chidawanyika

Full Name: Vuyo Andile Mzangwa Stage Name: Purpose the Rap Nationality: South African Link: (Twitter) @Purposetherap

Full Name: Nomthandazo Nxabela Stage Name: Thando Nxabela Nationality: South African Link: (Facebook) Nomthandazo Nxabela

Full Name: Peter Zowa Stage Name: Peter The Oracle Nationality: Zimbabwean Link: (Blog) thirdoracle.wordpress.com