The Colour See-Through
RAEEZ JACOBS
Poetry
Originally Published: 19 December 2025
The Colour See-Through
Mouth full of barbed wire
hands steeped
In stolen dreams
above you
the stars are all
comatose
running out of
colour
So dim and quicksilver
how will
you shine?
When your flora is deflowered
by winter’s strangling
Embrace
When madness resembles you
Will see-through be the colour?
What defines you?
when
so long is your silence
so thick is your slice
In Living Colour (Creased Politics)
Untidy introductions,
sketchy farewells
a scribbled sense of belonging
we ride on masked agendas
bowing at the altar of
snakes
in tuxedos
ubiquitous
con-people
walk down our streets
and rename them
Imagine that?
hurling antonyms in
their wake
Left wing angels
wear the pants
in homes made
of love and stale air
we’re paper-cut romantics giving
a love that wasn’t there
a perspective
our tongues are blunt
too late for time
we are foaming at the eyes
And
The road ahead is a cul-de-sac
Our outlook is sardonic, our freedom dazzles
at a distance
Nice from far, far from nice
we are forged and disillusioned
by constitutions
that hang
a man
already dead
Origin Song
your hands rhyme over
my accents, it’s no
coincidence that
the sun rises in your
eyes and sets in mine
you suss
me out
from shouting
darkness
til’ my skin
slides from
my bones to a heap
where your feet part
there also
is the birthplace of
my heart
About the Poetry
The Colour See-Through is a triptych of poems ("The Colour See-Through," "In Living Colour (Creased Politics)," and "Origin Song") that examine the tensions between selfhood, politics, and intimacy. The pieces move between the personal and the collective, tracing how dreams, identities, and freedoms are shaped — and sometimes strangled — by history, social structures, and private longing. Together, these works explore resilience and transformation, inviting the reader to confront what is obscured, silenced, or “see-through” in themselves and their societies.
The Creative
RAEEZ JACOBS
Raeez Jacobs is a South African multidisciplinary artist and writer whose work blends visual storytelling with poetic resonance. A former Wits University student, he is currently training to become a VFX artist while actively pursuing performing arts. His creative practice is shaped by a deep love for narrative in all its forms, from the stage to the screen.
Raeez co-wrote and directed the original production Time Travel for the Eldos Arts Festival in 2017, showcasing his strength in theatrical storytelling and collaborative creation. As a writer, his poetry has been published in Botsotso Literary Journal, The War Veteran’s Poetry Archive, and the Journal of African Youth Literature, reflecting his lyrical voice and his commitment to capturing the emotional textures of everyday life.
Rooted in authenticity and guided by a multidisciplinary vision, Raeez continues to expand his craft, exploring new ways to merge art, performance, and poetry into meaningful, immersive experiences.