Siphiwe Skele

Member since January 16, 2026

Member for 6 months, 5 days

Tree turned into firewood

Posted Jul 10, 2026 · 24 lines · 6 critiques

In twilight I wondered

how selfish roots must be.

From bud to bloom they hold,

long past the death of leaves,

while the whole tree aches to fly.

And in that wondering I heard it —

the tree’s old prayer:

“Let me go. My lover is coming again,

down from the north.”

But root grips root,

and drags the earth to brace her.

What a cruel conspiracy, I thought.

Read the rest of the poem Show less

One last heave against the wind —

root dove deeper — then — snap.

Love won, after all.

Tree broke free and danced in the clouds.

But alas, the sky could not hold him.

Tree fell, he drowned in the sea.

And root turned into firewood.

Siphiwe Skele’s timeline

July 2026
12 Sun

Received a critique
on Tree turned into firewood from @Lavender
"Such an intriguing poem! L"
10 Fri

Received a critique
on Tree turned into firewood from @Lavender
"It's always intriguing how a reader interprets a poem. Not certain what this means to you, but from the first line, "In twilight I wondered..." this poem spoke to me about embracing freedom, accepting aging and letting…"
10 Fri

Received a critique
on Tree turned into firewood from @Geezer
"imagine this being told as an old children's tale for the winter time, the digging in the snow for wood, grandma telling the little ones who complain about how hard it is to pull the roots from the earth; Be still my ch…"
10 Fri

Posted a poem
Tree turned into firewood
"In twilight I wondered  "
Open thread 24 lines
05 Sun

Posted a poem
05/07
"It is the tears that I long for."
Open thread 4 lines
June 2026
30 Tue

Posted a poem
What will I do with you?
"Two philosophers wrapped in the blanket of love  "
Open thread 14 lines
27 Sat

Received a critique
on 24/06 from @streshenkofftheresa
"Wow this is such a powerful write I think you did an amazing job conveying emotion here"
27 Sat

Critiqued
"A Letter To Heaven " by @streshenkofftheresa
"The wound of death, much like that of love lost, gapes for eternity. One has to imagine that Sisyphus is happy—that is the only way we can strive forward even through the pain of loss. Thoughts and prayers, ~¢"
27 Sat

Critiqued
"Where to start." by @Michelle Barnes
"Thank you for describing so eloquently what all of us feel and think before hitting that submit button. ~¢"
24 Wed

Posted a poem
24/06
"Give way to love,  "
Open thread 21 lines
16 Tue

New follower
@hbserge
15 Mon

Received a critique
on To all the fires I couldn't save from @rumpleman
"I love the humanity of your writing. I don’t critique. I appreciate anyone expressing themself with words. This feels heart birthed"
15 Mon

Posted a poem
To all the fires I couldn't save
"To all the fires I couldn't save,"
Open thread 10 lines
15 Mon

Highest posting month
June 2026 — 5 poems
10 Wed

Critiqued
"1st Communion" by @patrickgadoury
"Patrick, I saw this poem a few days ago, I couldn't comment then, so I lost it. Needless to say, I AM GLAD! I don't know where to start—to choose one point would be an injustice, so I won't pick one specific line— I lov…"
08 Mon

Received a critique
on Hold fast from @Lavender
"I feel stronger and more alive just by reading this! The formality gives the feeling of confidence and authority, while the language lends a strong and affirming rally-cry. This feels as if the narrator may be speaking…"
08 Mon

New follower
@Lavender
08 Mon

Posted a poem
Hold fast
"The ground must not shake beneath you,  "
Open thread 21 lines
05 Fri

Critiqued
"Childhood" by @Lavender
"L, I am always amazed at how much emotion and depth you are able to capture with a handful of words. Seems effortless, but I know it took years to master. Good piece."
04 Thu

Received a critique
on To kill a man ll from @Trouble
"I love the flow of this poem the words kinda sing in the rhymes sorry I can't give you any technical advice"
03 Wed

Received a critique
on Bear with me from @Lavender
"So good. "I befriended a shadow..." Thank you, L"
03 Wed

Posted a poem
Bear with me
"I beg, bear with me."
Open thread 22 lines
02 Tue

Critiqued
"If my face didn’t have a name " by @Trouble
"Trouble, Clear and concise, I like how you were able to vividly describe your current/past state of mind. I would love to read more—if you would ever care to expand on it. Watch out for grammar. Thank you, Cpwe"
01 Mon

Critiqued
"if you asked " by @hwilliamsog
"I used to be able to write love poems like these, I can't anymore; been rejected a few times too many. Anyway, Kudos for allowing yourself to feel so deeply and be this vulnerable. Good read."
01 Mon

Critiqued
"Idolatry machines" by @flj011278
""We are idolatry machines choking on the golden calf while creating our own gods" What a way to end a poem. I can feel the deep reflective isolation; from the poem I get the sense that it is voluntary or at least self i…"
May 2026
29 Fri

Posted a poem
The Joker's Girlfriend
""I love you!" she said,  "
Open thread 7 lines
11 Mon

Posted a poem
To kill a man ll
"To kill a man, make sure he forgets what he is.                                                  Raise him up in order to bring him to his knees.                                                       To kill a man, cater to all his needs —  easy does it. That way he won’t notice until he bleeds."
Open thread 13 lines
April 2026
21 Tue

Posted a poem
I'm Afraid
"I'm afraid,"
Open thread 5 lines
14 Tue

Posted a poem
To kill a man I
"Take notes. These secrets have never before been told,"
Open thread 22 lines
March 2026
16 Mon

Posted a poem
Sorry for your loss
"A notification jolted my dreams"
Open thread 20 lines
02 Mon

Most-discussed work
I was already dead when I entered the field of daisies ll

10 critiques to date.
01 Sun

Critiqued
"My Life as an Ugly Man" by @Sen99
"Very vivid imagery, by the end of the poem I could almost see the man—head bowed, long brown jacket and an unusually large hat; all this, of course, to conceal himself.👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽"
February 2026
24 Tue

First critique offered
on "HOW TO CENSOR YOUR EXISTANCE IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS, WHILE DENYING DOING IT." by @Dominick Musiala
January 2026
31 Sat

First publication
Before the thorns
16 Fri

Joined Neopoet
Membership begins

First poem published 15 days later.

About Me

About me

28 year old male.
There is absolutely nothing interesting about me—at all. Nonetheless, these are some of my favourite writers and their works;

#1 Poet: Robert Frost
#1 Poem: IF, By Kipling
#1 Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
#1 Novel: Catcher in the rye

Yes, my favourite writers aren't the authors of my favourite works.
I am a paradox like that sometimes.

Location: ZAF

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Contest Wins

This member has not yet won any contests.

Workshops

Followed By

Lavender

hbserge

on Tree turned into firewood from @Lavender

on Tree turned into firewood from @Lavender

on Tree turned into firewood from @Geezer

on 24/06 from @streshenkofftheresa

"A Letter To Heaven " by @streshenkofftheresa

"Where to start." by @Michelle Barnes

on To all the fires I couldn't save from @rumpleman

June 2026 — 5 poems

"1st Communion" by @patrickgadoury

on Hold fast from @Lavender

"Childhood" by @Lavender

on To kill a man ll from @Trouble

on Bear with me from @Lavender

"If my face didn’t have a name " by @Trouble

"if you asked " by @hwilliamsog

"Idolatry machines" by @flj011278

"My Life as an Ugly Man" by @Sen99

on "HOW TO CENSOR YOUR EXISTANCE IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS, WHILE DENYING DOING IT." by @Dominick Musiala

Membership begins

About Me

Recent Work

Contest Wins

Workshops

Followed By