“the whispers echoed the room naked”
By Sophie Barker (a free verse response to Themba Mbuli’s “Manmade”)
One man made this
thought provoking and creative.
In one space
the whispers echoed the room naked.
The burden of clothes
upon shelves
upon those
that waved the truth into the air.
Between the walls
there lied thoughts and questions that only the body and voice mentioned.
There was so much beauty within his extensions.
How his hands told a story
you felt it.
How he was honest with every stretch
as he stepped and rolled into spaces around the wooden floor
and when his eyes saw mine
it was felt in the core.
Thrown around vulnerability
with many colours and tees
the dance
it educated eyes attached to the screen.
Mbuli has opened doors into thoughts.
Covered every corner with his limbs
given movement that we can’t ignore.
The information was raw.
It made us think.
What do we feel and what do we see?
What do we know and what type of person are we?
And In that one space
the whispers echoed the room naked
Man made this.
