new dawn: steps of liberty

A NEW DAWN: STEPS OF LIBERTY

A collision. Four anonymous kin bounded together by one element, entrapment. Stuck in a moment, standing at crossroads they simultaneously seek the courage to take bold strides towards an unknown destination. Despite the vastness of the physical distance between them, tonight they are one. As they face disparate challenges and try to surmise life-changing decisions, their lives will collide; destinies intertwine as they search the core of their being to find inner peace and strength to move on and face the days ahead…
The Ghetto Child:
The night is cold and empty. I sit here alone in the dark, poignant thoughts filling my head. A lit cigarette attached to my lips, I take a long drag and exhale to the skies with the hope of releasing my worries in tandem, but the heavy feeling remains. Reminiscing about the days gone by, those endowed with youthful exuberance. Growing up in the slums is laced with challenges, difficulties and obstacles. Very few of us survive this life; I am one of those few, but with consequences. My hands are stained with blood, innocent blood. Being the breadwinner of an impoverished and vast family, I dropped out of school at an early age to cater for my dependents. On the quest to adequately provide and break the chains of poverty, I got tangled in a web of crime, deceit and taking of innocent lives. Tonight I vividly envisage all my victims lay cold in the gutters as my brethren, virgins I raped, my daughters. Tonight I shed a tear for them all and silently seek their forgiveness. I never meant for all the pointless fights and careless shots fired. Circumstances made me who I am. Rather who I was. Tonight I thirst for freedom, to be cleansed from all sins and guilt. To start afresh, I’m oblivious of my destination, but I get up and take steps towards direction of a place that used to be called home. The genesis of me, assertive of the facts that answers and peace lies there. I exhale the fumes from my cigarette into the air, this time my burdens gradually diffuse into the night…

The Broken Hearted:
I reach over to caress the warmth of your skin, but all I feel is the vastness and emptiness of the king size bed. Although several nights have passed, this melancholic feeling seems new. I’ve been living in a trance ever since my husband walked out of the door and took away the sunshine in my life. I occupy my days with work and activities that take my mind of missing him. Masking my pain, hurt and anguish behind a practiced smile and rehearsed conversations I strive to make it through each day and cry myself to sleep. But for how long? How many more lonely and infinite nights do I have to face alone? I’m filled with sorrow and anger as I think of the love we once shared and how far along the road we’ve come together, too far for you to give up now and throw it all away. Will my tears ever run dry as I wait for the day you’ll return and bring the light into my life again? Will you ever come back or are you gone for good? Where do I go from here? A sense of desperation envelopes me as I long for answers and search for direction. I reach out for the phone and hit the speed dial button. The seconds seem like hours as I wait to hear the soothing baritone of your voice.

Assaulted:
I’ve been standing here for a while, very long while. Under the jets of hot water, cleansing me and making me renewed. I believe that if I stand here long enough, maybe the pressure from the shower would rid me of these invisible stains and stench attached to me. My tears mingled with the streams of water as I remember as how he lewdly groped at me. I envision and relive the pain and anguish as he deflowered me and had his way with me night after night unmindful of the hurt and disgrace I was going through. Night after night when all lay deep in slumber, I lay awake terrified as I awaited my fate. Regardless of my pleas and cries, he forcefully had his way with me. I knew no one would believe me, a common domestic worker sexually assaulted by a man of prestige and virtue? Impossible! Here I was trapped on the inside, lost outside. When will I ever find my voice within and stand up to him? With nowhere to go and no one to turn to I fear to face a bleak and tormented tomorrow. I turn off the shower and take dejected strides back to my room, my cage. A shiver runs through my body as I glimpse at my ruffled mattress the thoughts of the nightmare I just lived running through my head. My gaze focuses on my packed bags lying in the corner.

The Bereaved:
Here I am sitting down on my rocking chair, staring into space oblivious of my condition, my husband, my family and my environment. I’ve been in this state every night for three years. Since my precious angels took flight life stopped making sense and the essence of living vanquished. I miss it dearly, the liveliness and joys of motherhood, the strives and trials as I tried to instill morals and value to my children as they came of age. My efforts to provide a meaningful and comfortable life regardless of the scarcity and hardships bearing on us seems to be wither away. Dreams being the proud mother at graduations, weddings and naming ceremonies all fade into nothingness. All it took was a moment, a split second and a drunken truck driver to send me into a state of turmoil and anguish. How I wish I had one more day with my angels to hear their innocent laughter, hold them close and tell them how much I love them. Through a blurred vision I stare at photograph in my hands wishing it would come to life, just for a brief moment. My vision shifts towards the boxes of treasures, memories and the past, knowing fully well what I must do…

Steps Of Liberty:
The sun slowly rises, a warm orange colour at first, it gradually begins to brighten up the morning sky and drives away all the shadows. Simultaneously all characters arise after along night of turmoil, confusion and indecisions, they gradually but steadily take sure strides towards the light, a new life and liberty…
Finding the inner strength to move on and face a new life after vast disappointments and lost hope is tough. It takes a lot of inner peace and focus to gather remains of a shattered life and start afresh. Even though we seem to have lost direction and a sense of belonging, there’s still so much be explored, learnt and understood about life. Trials occur for a purpose, not to break us down but to make us stronger and better people. to impact and change lives and restore hope to a dying and lost generation through our experiences as we simultaneously have a more vivid and stronger perception of who we are and all that we can ever be.