You never leave whole
You leave bit by bit
Scuffling feet
Fighting thinking head,
Fighting breaking heart
in hand.
You never leave whole,
You leave beaten
You leave broken
One too many times.
You pick up all the little pieces
waikungaanya.
Pieces too heavy 
to even try walking with head held high
you carry yourself 
head bowed.
Then you set yourself down
pieces of you, at your feet
like God recreating
you gather yourself 
waikungaanya.
You put yourself together 
waipaakanya.
But you never leave whole,
You leave one tired piece at a time
Until all of you has left
You never leave whole,
You leave empty
But you arrive whole
kuikungeka.
You return whole
back to self.

About the Author:

Munukayumbwa ‘Mimi’ Mwiya is a floater who sometimes sits still long enough to write. She is Namibian.

Feature image by BiancaVanDijk / Pixabay