plantations of KwaZulu,
sugar in the natural state
a source of sucrose.
the hands, rip cane from soil
teeth, sink under
succulent summer delicacy
the unrefined blood of cane
mouth, drips,
the senses, sensual self-indulgence,
a taste of raw sugar
weakens, subsides, fades
the pleasure begins to die
from the tongue.
Sihle Ntuli is a 29-year-old South African writer, born in Kwa-Mashu. Ntuli has had poetry published in Agbowo, New Coin and Saraba Magazine amongst others. He holds a masters degree in Classical Civilizations from Rhodes University in Makhanda. As a former lecturer at the University of the Free State, Ntuli is the current holder of the 2019 Innovation Award for Curriculum Design and Delivery.