CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Visit waxpoetryart.com to explore poetry
(including haiku
and spoken word),
visual art,
photography,
play,
and fiction
submission opportunities.
Experience the thrills of the Weekly Poems Contest.
--
January 15th, 2026
South Africa Poetry Contest #3 – First Place
by Clarisse Terblanche
Loss knocks late in the evening,
you return what was once mine.
I try to close the door with might –
profusely, as always, you win.
It worsens when you sit for a while,
your cold hand holding me.
Oh Mercy, pray let me sleep.
You say you delight in my company,
which makes you demon of a creature.
For you fill my house with gloom
infecting every corner and each room.
Your mere touch is poisonous –
it hangs heavy for too long,
even after you've gone.
Then, only then, I dust off bitter remains.
I must accept this restless dark
for the entirety of night.
Then, 'til you visit me again,
you're a ghost out of my sight.
About the Poet
Clarisse Terblanche resides in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art publications
on Clarisse Terblanche's Artist Page.
This poem is featured in Comet #7, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Keywords: depression, loss, ghosts, bitterness, restless nights, grief
Previously published in South Africa Poetry Magazine:
Blueprints of a Heart
by Emma Ferreira
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.
- AI Training is not permitted on this website.
(Advertisements)