A Little Bit Of Sunshine

"Inspired by the genuine  moment of  disappointment I felt when my butter would not melt." – Naledi Biyela, 2025 My butter isn't the kind that melts on a piece of toast  It stays afloat, mocking me with a gloat I've never been the kind of person to take things lightly They sit on my chest like a boulder That grows as it weighs on my shoulders My thoughts are not the kind that fit neatly in my notes They infiltrate the corners and fill in the margins They smudge, leaking out like ink My life is not the kind that's wrapped  neatly in a bow It hurtles forward in a rush, then slows It crashes into the people I know  Then, just occasionally, it flows  Into the most beautiful prose My heart is not the kind  that's easy to hold It flickers on and off like a ghost My love is anxious and makes a mess So I keep it buried in the folds of my dress But anyway, it matters less How you butter your toast  As long as you're satisfied and whole. 

Somehow, somewhere, I stopped being afraid of bugs and insects. One of my favourite parts of the day is when I see a little creature crawling through my living room, and I hustle to find a piece of paper to guide it back home. This isn't always a smooth process. Sometimes I'm nervous, but most times they are. They don't find it easy to trust. That's when my voice lowers to a hush, and I whisper, "I won't hurt you, I promise. Ask all the worms I know." And then I let it go back into the wild, where they're likely to escape again, and we start the entire process all over again. The reason I find this little ritual fascinating is that, a year or two ago, I couldn't look at a millipede, worm or caterpillar, without cringing or grabbing the closest weapon available (see: broomstick). What changed? I'll tell you... I simply got to know them. For the past few years, our yard has been infiltrated by an army of these tiny red millipedes every spring. Th...

Hi, friends! If you're new here, and curious about the person behind these pieces and poems, here's a little introduction.  My name is Sthuthukile Naledi Biyela, a writer and poet from South Africa, and also the proud creator of this blog. My favourite colour, because I think it matters, is cornflower blue. I can't imagine a better colour existing, and no, I will not reconsider. I spend my days working and journaling (some of which you get to see), and as of recent, saving every critter that crawls into my home from the garden. As far as jobs go, it's a steady gig.  I have been writing poetry for more than 10 years, and I created this space to give my thoughts and whims a home, and make me feel less alone. Sometimes I like to imagine I'm shouting into the abyss and no one is reading any of this...  But if you are here, thank you. Thank you for giving my words purpose. I didn't set out to change the world, I set out to change my own. That said, if anyone has foun...