Time Escaping Me and Elderly Evacuation
BANDILE NKALA
Poetry
Originally Published: 10 July 2026
Time Escaping Me
sitting and thinking on this:
how much time is left?
against the matters of
achievements and the agreements
of an active adult
wondering and pondering
the chances and changes
that encapsulate
the elimination of wasted minutes
and the eradication of wasted hours
within the realms of reality
you continuously collect
losses and wins
that express that:
these numbers are not false prophets,
these numbers are human intelligence recorded
the number of hours worked
to the minutes spent with your partner,
even the years spent at a job
will always say the inevitable:
time never stops.
time escapes.
Elderly Evacuation
The elders, how we should appreciate them,
But never forget, they are not gods.
Just old children with experience.
Yet bear witness with your eyes:
There was no doubt in their wisdom.
When the winds sail,
The ocean of knowledge
Must remain through the sands of time.
The 2020 vision arrived to infect people,
An infectious infiltration of pain.
And you see…
Death to the ocean beds
Across the world.
The vulnerable were attacked.
The words disappeared.
Joy became disastrous dread.
Willingness and woe met lockdown,
Which withheld and caged our elders,
With the burdens of their bodies,
Unprepared to stand within
The tsunami of sorrow
That drained the flow of information.
And opened up:
A withered past
or
A potential peace.
2020 vision,
How lethal you were.
A WITHERED PAST
Wired with deception
Encouraged by hesitation
And disgusted by peace.
Families died.
A POTENTIAL PEACE
The highest level of calm,
An immense infrastructure of joy,
Always surrounded by love.
The influence of our elders remains,
Despite their
timed departure.
About the Poems
Time Escaping Me reflects on the passage of time and its role in shaping human life. It explores how achievements, relationships, and experiences are measured through the time invested in them, ultimately emphasising that time is unstoppable and must be valued. Elderly Evacuation pays tribute to elders and the wisdom they carry while reflecting on the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly on older generations, whose loss left many families and communities without sources of knowledge, guidance, and cultural memory.
The Creative
BANDILE NKALA
Bandile Nkala writes poems that focus on the human experience. He started out with journaling and the writing evolved into poetry. He has two poetry and/or writing blogs called Catch Up with Bandile (on WordPress) Catch Up with Bandile 2 (on Substack). He continues attending poetry events.