A haunting shadow in mourning, to remember how much more there is still left to do.

                                                                                                                     -Qondiswa James

I am not pure innocence clad in

The brightest of charmeuse, chiffon, or tulle.

I am stained black with rage, mourning

a nation plagued by a persisting sickness.

I come before a trail of sorrow that is

Too long to be traced by my thin veil.

How is it that I wear the veil yet

You hold the lies?

You address this nation as I dress your victims

In a silent declaration. I cannot help

But hate your hatred. I cannot help

But ask why it is so that some of the people

You swore to protect are the ones you

Persecute most. I cannot help it – so I stand

Against your houses of parliament,

Silent for the sake of those silenced

By your brutality. I stand before a system

That has refused to listen. I hope

That my presence is louder than your

prohibition. I shall remain standing

For all those who have fallen

And mourn into the morning.

Michelle Muli is a sophomore in the University of Florida’s Digital Arts and Sciences program and an international scholar from Waterford Kamhlaba, the United World College of Southern Africa (UWCSA). She is passionate in her pursuit of a career in animation, storyboarding, and/or game design. She is also heavily involved as a Public Relations director in the executive board for the African Student Union (ASU), which strives to spread awareness of the multiple, diverse African cultures whilst representing such minorities on and off campus. Michelle often uses poetry to represent her heritage and the organization she is a part of – she not only speaks about the issues that African countries face, but about their triumphs and wonders.