Naked by Louisa Msiska: A Poetry Collection

Naked by Louisa Msiska is one of my many short poetry collections. This poetry collection is so close to my heart because it truly depicts a time in my life when I felt lost. At the same time, I truly felt like I was stripping myself naked in front of someone I loved. It was both a scary time, but also amazing because I was able to share myself fully with someone without much regret. It’s a shame he never stayed for too long.

naked by louisa msiska

STAY

I drown in alcohol
Light up a spliff
Trying to stay high
Live in the clouds
Where there are no
Heartaches
Where there are no
Tears
Where I hold you close
Close to my heart
My soul rejoicing to having you
All to myself
But I have a big ego
It doesn’t allow me to ask you
To stay
But baby,
Please stay

                                                    
PLEDGE

I was at church
An announcement was made
I was asked to pledge
But all I thought of was you
So I pledged to love you
Till the end of time
To make you happy
Till the man in a white cloth
Descends back to earth

LOVE HURTS

I regret my past
Because that’s what you are
My past
Where my smile was genuine
Compared to the fake one I wear now
My happiness slipped through my eyes
I felt it in all my joints
It was there each time I saw you
All that is left now
Is an empty house
With an empty girl
Reminiscing about her past
That was made up of you

WARS

The sound of,
Body clashing on body
Of groans and moans
Of intertwined lips
Labored breaths
Creaking beds

The sight of,
Wet lands
Pure waters of life
Of a man
Relentlessly trying to drink
From the spring
With no shame

I saw a huge war unfold
I was pinned to his bed
His body on top of mine
His gun inside my womb
Moving in circles
Threatening to shoot
I cried out, so did he
In pleasure

RADIO

His voice
Captures me even in my darkest moments
Soothing me
He speaks so low
But I feel each octave vibrating in my soul
He talks, uncertain of who listens
Unknowing that I stay on the other side of the wave
Fantasizing of him
His deep voice whispering in my ears
Cooing me to sleep

So each 6pm
I glue myself to the radio
Ready to meet the love of my life

FANTASY

I often dream about
White gowns, white roses
Something old, something new
Something borrowed, something blue
And a sixpence in my shoe

I often see you
Standing at the alter
Draped in a black tuxedo, black shoes
Crisp white shirt, with a loose black tie
A shaky smile on your lips

I often dream of
Walking towards you
While all our family stands in approval
To have you hold my hand
Ready for the future

I often see you
Shading a tear
As you slowly put a ring on my finger
And I shed one
As I band you as mine

I often dream about
Sealing it with a sloppy kiss
Your eyes staring deep in mine
Sharing the same fear
What will our future be like?

I often see you
Clutch my hand
“It will be alright”
We smile
And my dreams end

HERO

She wears no cape
She does not fly from rooftop to the other
She wears no costume
But each time I see her
I get embraced in comfort
I get saved from a lot of pain
They call her my mother
While I call her my hero

NAKED

I stand before you
Naked like the day I was born
Ready to tell the truth
Ready to bear myself fully
To lay down my fears
My pain
To show you my brokenness
And how I perfectly conceal all my scars
To show you all the patches
That have been used to sow the pieces together

I stand before you
Stripped from all the walls
I used to hide behind
To show you who I really am
Are you ready?