September 15th, 2025
South Africa Poetry Contest #2 – First Place
by Emma Ferreira
In the corner of the room, she sits
blueprints of a heart, stitched with threads of empathy.
A lighthouse keeper in a storm of emotions
navigating the shipwrecked souls
her smile a beacon, soft yet resolute
but oh, how heavy is the world she holds.
She's the one with the listening ear
the shoulder that keeps the weight of whispered fears.
While they spill their secrets like confetti
her own thoughts tucked away
like forgotten toys in the attic of her mind.
She's the silent keeper of a thousand stories
Yet her own pages remain unwritten, untouched.
They call her when the night swallows the light.
When shadows creep in, and the heart gets tight.
She's the calm in their chaos, the balm for their pain,
but who will stand next to her in the rain?
Her laughter dances on the surface
but inside she's a tempest, a whirlpool of doubt.
She signs her name in invisible ink
While others paint their lives with vibrant strokes.
The life coach, the healer, the light in the dark
but in the mirror, she barely sees a spark.
A silent warrior, battling her own soundless wars
fighting for the ones who can't find their shores.
She's the glue that holds together fractured hearts,
the compass for the lost, but who maps her parts?
Each I'm fine is a fragile disguise
wrapped in a smile, a ribbon hiding the cries.
Yet every story shared becomes a thread
weaving a tapestry of love, selflessly creating life.
About the Poet
Emma Ferreira resides in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art publications
on Emma Ferreira's Artist Page.
This poem is also featured in Wax Poetry and Art Magazine #8,
published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Previously published in South Africa Poetry Magazine:
March Equinox
by Kevin Scheepers
South Africa Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
- Visit the main Wax Poetry and Art Submissions Page to see all opportunities.
- Visit the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
- This website and all contents ©Kirk Ramdath and specified artists.
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