Poetry & Prose
Poetry, short stories and book reviews from AVO writers. 93 stories.
Nothing from you
Maverick Kabelo2 Oct 20261 min read
Nkuku, teach me
Maverick Kabelo30 Sep 20261 min read
The heartbroken poem
Maverick Kabelo11 Feb 20241 min read
Bored poem
Maverick Kabelo10 Feb 20231 min readLatest in Poetry & Prose
PoetryA thorn among roses
Thorn among roses, Out of place, out of time, Silent, alone, I bloom.
Maverick Kabelo24 Jan 20231 min read
PoetryDear you
Darkness haunts you through the night,On cue to the idea that sad songs could be your lullaby.But fear remains vibrant in your eyes,Like torture in a blazing furnace.
Tinashe19 Jan 20231 min read
PoetryDear Miss Sunshine
Dear miss sunshine, Shine Radiate as bright as you can be, For the world is yours to reach, To devour with your essence, And captivate our hearts with your presence,
Yarona Monthe3 Jan 20231 min read
PoetryThe six Ws of introversion
Why do I feel like an outcast, a misfit in this society?
Maverick Kabelo29 Dec 20221 min read
PoetryThe Mophane worm’s lament
I am but a humble worm, Trapped in this endless form, Foraging through the mophane leaves, My days filled with endless feed.
Maverick Kabelo25 Dec 20221 min read
PoetryThe untitled story
Her shiny black hair flickers in the dark storm, Her beautiful pink lips, with a touch of black from the burns of a cigarette.
Larona Mosoboloko24 Dec 20222 min read
PoetryI am not selfish
Once, you were my everything My heart and soul, my everything But as the days turned into months I found myself feeling trapped and smothered
Maverick Kabelo23 Dec 20221 min read
PoetrySilent goodbye
A boy and lady, good friends they beHe told her all his innermost thoughts, so confidinglyShe comforted and advised, with a heart full of careBut one day, out of the blue, she was no longer there
Maverick Kabelo18 Dec 20221 min read
PoetryThe unforgiving
The sun beats down, relentless and fierceOn the parched earth of her land
Maverick Kabelo17 Dec 20221 min read
PoetryOnce an athlete
Once a man of great skill and speed,On the field and in the pool,He ruled the game with power and grace,A true athlete and a master of his craft.
Maverick Kabelo14 Dec 20221 min read
PoetryUnfulfilled
Desire burns within me, A fire that never dies, I try to quench it, But it only multiplies.
Maverick Kabelo13 Dec 20221 min read
PoetryDespite
In the quiet of his solitude, He finds not peace nor solace.
Maverick Kabelo12 Dec 20221 min read
PoetryBuild a home in me
With a soul woven in vicuna and cashmereI am soft and solaced for youRest your heart on the trove of my loveDulcifying and alleviatingLet us lay reclined here awhileDebarring the dinAnd darting our…
Kgosietsile Kooagile9 Dec 20221 min read
PoetryShe bled
Glancing the bay through the window,Her quiet morning began.Already hating the day, hating the life.She started to chase the ghost happiness that resided inside her.Drowning her sorrows in a deep…
Larona Mosoboloko4 Dec 20221 min read
Literary ArtsAustin Magaga: Starting Caves Academy on a high note
Affectionately dubbed “Professor Caves” by his students, Austin Magaga is the founder of Caves Academy, a fully registered and accredited training institution.
Raveena Ramnarain7 Nov 20221 min read
PoetryHow pink can you go
It’s pink October, A time to recognize the brave who have dealt with the unthinkable.
Ripfumelo Chavani24 Oct 20221 min read
Literary ArtsMarcia Ramodike; succeeding in the business industry
“I always told myself that one day I will make it.”
Ripfumelo Chavani1 Oct 20224 min read
Literary ArtsDr. Bryan Keitsemang appointed Lecturer of Creative Writing at Caves Academy
We couldn’t be more pleased to partner with the celebrated writer Dr Bryan Keitsemang to launch our Creative Writing Program.
Raveena Ramnarain25 Aug 20221 min read
Literary ArtsBryan Keitsemang: The untamed storyteller
Dr.
Raveena Ramnarain20 Jul 20223 min read
PoetryAmbition in place
A brain behind inventiveness, Young and intelligent, Destined for greatness… Anxiousness and sensitiveness his weakness, And creativity his greatest weapon…
Ripfumelo Chavani14 Jul 20222 min read
PoetryMakoro to survive
He wakes up early to get the bag, To run towards the hissing bus as it reaches the bus stop,To run after it even when it leaves him behind, Until it reaches the next bus stop for other workers.
AVO3 Jul 20221 min read
Book ReviewTlhakantshuke is out now!
Copies of Dr.
AVO30 Jun 20221 min read
PoetryWear your skin proud
Unusual brown, white and spotty “deformities,” Sketched on your body by the hands of nature, Creping quietly into your coat, and consuming the usual skin color… A discomfort that came with constant…
Ripfumelo Chavani25 Jun 20221 min read
PoetryDear pops, old man
He is a pillar of strength; The one we look to when everything is going sideways; We know that he has an armour up there… I would wake up from nightmares, screaming.
Yarona Monthe19 Jun 20221 min read
PoetryWho am I?
I am the extension of rudeness, With a pinch of sweetness.
Yarona Monthe17 Jun 20221 min read
PoetryWrong ain’t our label
They say we all have rights…A rhythm mumbled daily.As if everyone earns the same respect…Yet, seeing the difference makes me wonder.And seek to know exactly what are human rights?Who deserves these…
Ripfumelo Chavani16 Jun 20222 min read
PoetryMosarwa’s poetic quest
Geoffrey Mosarwa Jr is a wordsmith who speaks his truth and wears his heart on his sleeve.
Maverick Kabelo15 Jun 20225 min read
Literary ArtsThe rise of Dr. Bryan Keitsemang
• Dr.
Raveena Ramnarain11 Jun 20222 min read
PoetryMonstrous pain
I never saw it coming!
Ripfumelo Chavani30 May 20222 min read
PoetryMother’s Day
Hi mama, I know it’s late.
Palesa Morailane8 May 20221 min read
PoetryA true natured passion
Her profession… An excellent event prof.
Ripfumelo Chavani7 May 20222 min read
PoetrySurviving 2021
We’ve gotten to a point where we learnt survival of the fittest even when we didn’t want to.We’ve fought ourselves; our demons cursed our reflections and still couldn’t find stability.In-fact…
Burnt Out Phoenix29 Apr 20221 min read
PoetryYou think you know her
I overheard your chats with your buddies.Whispering one-sided truths about her character.You uttered with confidence…For you were certain of every element that made her.
Ripfumelo Chavani26 Apr 20221 min read
PoetryI said I was busy
I said I was busy…Yet my truth was considered a lie.For I was not spotted physically operative
Ripfumelo Chavani22 Apr 20221 min read
Short StoryAhana
Ahana’s brother banged on the door with a fist before turning to face Jenni, Ahana’s roommate, who was on the verge on wetting her pants.
Peace8 Feb 202214 min read
PoetryPain
I live deep within the deep blood of lonely children and sad souls.
Larona Mosoboloko22 Jan 20221 min read
Book ReviewUsing words to encompass history
Lebogang Botlhoko is a published author aged nineteen.
Burnt Out Phoenix15 Jan 20224 min read
Short StoryWe were never here
By Wednesdays at most, she’d feel tired of being human.
Peace10 Jan 202212 min read
PoetryThe rhythm of my grief
Listen to the tone of my grief,A discomfort that started when existence turns into a misery…When days and night were more of the same..When my ex started to cheat on me with a Paramour.
Ripfumelo Chavani7 Jan 20221 min read
PoetryPhenomenal self
I don’t have a sexy physique to die for,I’m not full- figured.But I’m cute in my ways,When I try to portray my glamour they don’t see it.When I try to notify them, they speculate I’m telling the…
Ripfumelo Chavani5 Jan 20221 min read
PoetryA heart of gold
My heart,What a tenderness filled within you,Your every beat is fulfilling and admiring…Your liking knows no prejudice..All you observe seems elegant and uniqueYou have passed this compassion to my…
Ripfumelo Chavani2 Jan 20221 min read
PoetryDear Life
I gave myself sufficient period to examine and understand you well.After all the times I was attempting to give up on you and get relieved from you because I couldn’t handle your nature.But I have…
Ripfumelo Chavani9 Oct 20211 min read
PoetryWhat is love?
I wish I can tell, but you are asking the wrong person,I have been in love, yet I can’t clarify it…I know it sounds strange, but this is my truth…
Ripfumelo Chavani6 Oct 20211 min read
PoetryFive on the dot.
I’m longing to live my dreams!I had the best moments of my existence,Encircled by people who only sees potential in me.They applauded, as I walk boldly on a red carpet,Bossing to sit on a throne,My…
Ripfumelo Chavani25 Sep 20211 min read
PoetryNobody is a waste
I notice you, All the duration… When you take things very distant, And label human beings nobodies.
Ripfumelo Chavani13 Sep 20212 min read
PoetryHunted souls
We thought only animals can be hunted down and killed…But things have changed drastically,Human flesh is on demand,don’t get me erroneous….Not all human flash, but recently women considered on the…
Ripfumelo Chavani11 Sep 20211 min read
PoetryCrying a river full
I’m crying a river full of my pilling tears,I’m still enduring the pain,Yet I don’t know I’ll endure it until when…I think, maybe it will passYet I also believe it can even be for a lifetime.
Ripfumelo Chavani8 Sep 20212 min read
PoetryMeaningless sorry’s
Nicely, you said sorry,On your knees as if you wanted to submit,With a sham sadness on your skin.Like the usual,You performed similar actions…Hoping I’ll fall for it, like all these times.
Ripfumelo Chavani5 Sep 20211 min read
PoetryForeseeing your return
I’m here extremely concernedOverthinking roughly of what you are enduring,I wonder if I will ever have an opportunity to feel your deepest suffering,Because that is my longing to share your pains…But…
Ripfumelo Chavani26 Aug 20212 min read
PoetryThe man who won the lottery
Have you ever lived your life waking up from a shack?Feeding on dry breadcrumbs every morning and even in the evening when you come back?Have you ever lived a life that gives you a reason to give up…
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane21 Aug 20212 min read
PoetryLoving you ended me
I bought you flowers, and you sent them backGot you a necklace and said it doesn’t look good on your neckI bought you an impeccable dinner dress and you told me you hate the color blackTell me, how…
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane19 Aug 20212 min read
PoetryThe lesson of life
Seasons come and passPeople come and goSo, from that, we must learn and grow
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane18 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryI will show you
She said, “Give me a flower,And I’ll show you how to take care of it, so it doesn’t lose its color
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane17 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryThe dream she had last night
She is being chased by her own shadowLocked behind the bars of sinLocked behind the dark world she cannot seeA world without stars and the moon
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane16 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryUnforeseen betrayal
I unfasten my life foyer,For you to access my frontier,Assuming our relationship was more than just friends…And I snatched it to the next phase.
Ripfumelo Chavani16 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryWhat I earned from these scars
Throughout my childhood my mistakes have been labeled outFor every scar I got, represented every serious or even petty mistake I had madeRepresented every cup or plate I accidentally broke,And no…
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane15 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryOne more last dose
Left me in some indefinable lachrymose I should’ve known it would be much more hurting to stay in too close But before I let go, please allow me this one more last dose
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane14 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryShe lives in me
Her voice is full of pain and rageIt’s like she’s been locked in a hard shield cageAnd she doesn’t wanna leave without imbedding a markI can feel her fists, aggressively hitting against my heart
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane13 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryA matter of time
Time fliesIt runs like a river flowWe meet when the time was still tickingI put you under my skin just like a tickYou sucked my blood,And become full and fat from my flash
Ripfumelo Chavani12 Aug 20212 min read
PoetryDeception
Broken into pieces of sharp bladesHidden behind the scary dark shadesBuried in sadness with no lucid meaningA quintessence of grief, trying to seek healing
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane12 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryBlue; my different shade of blue
My blue is dark, yours is light Your blue is day, mine is night Your blue is hope, mine is plight Your blue brings laughter, mine bring tears Your blue brings freedom, mine brings fears
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane11 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryThe shadow
It’s black behind my backIt listens to me every time I talk aloneBut it’s neither made of flesh nor boneIt is my only companion
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane10 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryShe lives in a world
She lives in a world around peersA world where everyone is afraid to conquer their fearsShe lives in a world full of tearsA world where she cannot find herself
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane9 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryThis is a jeremiad of my hopelessly drowning emotions
From waking up at 6am for a morning jogDown the busy street downtown with my dogThe everyday hangouts and dinners after workFrom scribbling random messages into my diary every morning when I wake…
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane8 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryThe girl who killed my father
She criedBut one day her tears turned into fireFire that dropped to the ground and burnt the earth in ireShe cried and the more she criedWas the more the fire burnt along her skin down to her chin
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane7 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryDepressed child
Sadness is my homieComes out to play only when I am soberHe wouldMake me feel worthless,Play mind games with meOnly to make me feel selfless;
Yarona Monthe6 Aug 20212 min read
PoetryOur blackness to them appears like an inevitable crime
There was love but you chose to hateYou chose to betray God and discriminateYou chose to cast blood upon the black riversYou chose to imbed it in your mind, to stick it to your subconscious forever…
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane5 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryEyes are windows to the soul
They say eyes are windows to the soul But mine are as dark as coal Dark that no matter how careful you try to see through them, you won’t see the pain Like a tortoise my eyes are a protective shell…
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane4 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryA mistaken hardship
They spread the mythsAnd announced my madnessFor they assumed they knew it all..They went further…And verify my passing time.
Ripfumelo Chavani3 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryBroken pieces
When other kids used to brag about their happy familiesI stayed still in my shell like a tortoiseI always stayed quiet, that they would never hear my voiceI ran to the back of the house to wipe off…
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane3 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryThe note she left on the worktop
It was one summer night and the sky was raining its cold mistMy body was feeling light and lifeless like the watch that was wrapped around my wristThe house too was scared,signaling there’s nobody…
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane2 Aug 20213 min read
PoetryI’m fine
I told my mom I’m fineBut she watches me every time she talks to me about you and I swallow back my tears
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane1 Aug 20211 min read
PoetryI know, I remember (p.s. I still do)
I know how I felt the first time I saw youI know my heart skipped beats more than once or twice in a semi- secondI know I stammered the whole day because words kept running away from meEvery time you…
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane30 Jul 20213 min read
PoetryShe broke hearts but earned cuts
She was young and naïveGrowing without love drove her to look for it in the wildest of placesShe got lost between finding love that is worth the price and just lust for the beautiful facesAnd she met…
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane30 Jul 20211 min read
PoetryLove
I thought, hesitated and went for itI drowned deep for itMade waves in settled landsLove..yes its loveThey fell in for me
AVO9 Jul 20211 min read
PoetryMourning
Sadness, bereavement or lamentation;The most terrible state of humanity survival,War between soul, mind and heart;Thorn in my skin, tumor in my brain;What should be done?
Ripfumelo Chavani6 Jul 20212 min read
Literary ArtsMAMAs nominated: Best Author
BESIDES BEING GIFTED, LONELINESS INSPIRED ME TO WRITE
Ripfumelo Chavani1 Jul 20212 min read
Book ReviewAgainst the odds
Another week another great local Author and this week we are getting wisdom from Ozzil Gopolang with his book titled ‘Against the odds‘.
Same Muzila25 Jun 20214 min read
PoetryApple of my eye
Can I tell you a secret?Please promise you’ll keep it.I’ve kept it deep within,But now I should preach it.There’s a girl whom I love,An angel from above.Although things may get tough,I’ll never get…
Ripfumelo Chavani23 Jun 20213 min read
Short StoryA shy, young woman bumps into her soulmate
Not all days of the week were good and exciting as one would think or perceive.
AVO27 May 20214 min read
Short StoryHer best friend’s death
My bestfriend was the truest thing to ever happen to me and for me.
AVO20 May 20217 min read
Literary ArtsPain isn’t the worst thing
Baone Peace Moalosi is a 20 year old, Mochudi born writer/poet and author of Pain Isn’t The Worst Thing.
Same Muzila18 May 20212 min read
Literary ArtsTears on my mother’s shoes
Ms Lame Pusetso is a writer, poet, master of ceremony, spoken word artist, motivational speaker, poetry adjudicator and owner of a publishing company.
Zanele15 May 20213 min read
PoetryDark way
We suffered along the long journeyThe road was grumpyWe strived and fought for whats bestBut the efforts ended effortlesslyPandemic made everyone uselessWhat you invest in fighting was useless
AVO11 Aug 20201 min read
Book ReviewRenée Dipheko talks about her book, Midnight Thoughts
“I find the night sky very surreal.
Maverick Kabelo27 Jun 20203 min read
Literary ArtsMiso on her poetry breakthrough experience
Miso Mphasha is a 19-year-old Motswana poetess currently pursuing her studies as a Charted Accountant at Botswana Accountancy College.
Burnt Out Phoenix13 Jun 20205 min read
PoetryWhen Karma gets angry
Time passes by and happiness seeps awayMy mind remains a vacant playground, allowing pain to come playEmotions come and go, day by dayAll I realise is I’ve intimidated Karma, and its my time to pay
Refilwe J. Mokgatlenyane23 May 20201 min read
PoetrySnakes in suits
Your face displays a smile,But your teeth are sharp than even a knife.There is a devils loud cry behind your giggles.They won’t notice if they don’t study you cause you are tricky just like…
AVO18 May 20201 min read
PoetryMy storms
I like the little calm moments before the storm…The genuine I Love You’s.The him sweeping me off my feet moments where I feel like all existence has stopped because the only thing that seem to be of…
Burnt Out Phoenix17 May 20201 min read