Memories made
Lessons learnt
Pages turned
Pages left unturned
They say your life passes by right in front of your eyes as you are about to leave this world
For the most part, I asked myself “who came up with this concept “
Surely whoever it was must have been alive to tell the story so their theory does not matter… Right?
But then I spent some time with you and even though your body lay on that hospital bed
Your mind wandered between the past, present, and the future
You took me on a trip down your memory lane
Your confusion taught me so much that your sober mind couldn’t
You were loud but oh so closed up for the most part of your life
But on that hospital bed, you were an open book
I got to know you more for your brain wasn’t protecting you anymore
Your subconscious became much more conscious and I managed to tap into places you wouldn’t let anyone in
I am grateful that I finally got to meet you. The real you
Behind that smile and the jokes, you made was a broken soul that never got to heal
I was fuelled with anger trying hard to wake you up
But I had forgotten one thing… That you made mistakes and lived your life with no regrets and for that, I apologise
You missed mom and dad but now you get to be with them
I hope you are happy in the new realm
I will continue to cry until I am numb
Finally, your wish came true, and even though I am hurt… I am equally happy for you
Despite the many sad moments, me crying myself to sleep
My heart always smiles realizing that I was that constant thing for you
Even in your darkest hours, as you didn’t know what was happening or what was to become of your life
You remembered who I was and that always made you smile
You loved me so much and I am grateful for that
Pages turned, words left unsaid
Pages unturned, too much said
That’s what life is… Or is it?
*
Through you, I found a new meaning of life. To keep believing no matter what
You are the one person who fell and got back up more times than the clock strikes the hour
Even when you got used… you continued to avail yourself with a smile so bright
There’s a whole lot more you still wanted to do… But know that I am here to take over your dreams for they are very much aligned with mine
Thank you for the lessons learnt
Thank you for the love shared
I will hold on to the memories made for that’s all I have left
Thank you for turning those pages with me
Rest easy…….. Come visit me in my dreams
Jane Mpholo is a multi-award winning theatre Practitioner and an Audience Development Specialist at the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (PACOFS) . She has been active on both the national and international platforms with collaborations with practitioners from the Netherlands, USA and Australia, to name a few. Jane is a senior judge for the World Monologue Games and World Monologue Film Festival. Her highlights as a writer include being chosen as one of the 5 top playwrights for the NATi Yong Sterre program for her script "The Dawn", making it to the top 20 playwrights list for the African Women Playwrights Festival of Plays for her script "The Naked Truth" (which she later turned into a short film) and having her script "Fragmented" on the program for Teksmark 2022. Her autobiographical show "Psalm 69" has proved to be timeless and has showcased on both the national and international platforms such as the Global leadership summit 2018. Jane is a panel member for the National Arts Council and is a former FS Provincial Liaison for the BASA Debut Program. She is a recent graduate for the BASA Cultural Producers Program, an initiative between British Council; BASA, Common Purpose and the Manchester International Festival. Her short film "Cleanse" which looks at the life of a woman under oppression as a domestic worker has won multiple international awards and aired on DSTV pop up channel 150 (Woordfees TV 2022). Jane is also one of the contributors for the Stemme/Voices monologues 2022, an initiative by the Suidoosterfees.
Jane practices as a professional actor (has over 40 theatrical shows under her belt), playwright, producer, dramaturge, facilitator, arts coach , speaker and mentor. She is passionate about inclusive education and creating a safe space for audiences to engage in discussions pertaining to the social ills of the world. She is a true advocate for human rights.
Amongst the many awards and recognitions....she is a three times Kyknet Fiesta Nominated artist and made it to the lists "Mail and Guardian Women Changing South Africa" and the "Sunday World Unsung Heroes 2022".
