Poetry Platform
May 2026
'Growing Pains' by Belita Andre
Bruise your soft lips upon the callouses
Of your feet
Now as we gather the wooden roll of carpet,
Edging slow but closer still
To hit down the nail of process,
like pin upon royal quilt.
Note how far you’ve come
and so
engrave into the notches that you stitch,
Seeking without measure
the sweetness of bloodied fingertips.
So what if fruit descends slow from laboured tree?
as feather descends the sky,
or as rustle ascends the leaves.
Be wary of golden imitations,
the embrace of shiny things.
Expose not in exhausted light
The nudity of your sphinx.
© 2019 Belita Andre. All rights reserved. Reproduction or transmission of this work in any part or form is strictly prohibited without the author’s prior written consent.
About the author
Belita André is a Johannesburg-based, South African spoken word artist of Nigerian and Namibian descent.
The influences in her work are often East African folklore, practices and mythology. This translates what appears inanimate in traditional prose into moments tethered to texture, colours, taste and metre.
Belita has showcased on the Poetry Africa stage, the Izimbongi festival, collaborated with Mac Cosmetics, Jameson South Africa, contributed to the poetry-colouring book ‘Colour Me Melanin’ and is published in the New Contrast collection of 2025.
A list of writers previously published by AGN is maintained here; writers list.
Submission guidelines for those thinking of putting their work forward to be considered for publication are here; submission guidelines.
African Global Networks (AGN) – May 2026