#CrossEra

King Shaka, Zulu king of war and might,
Met Queen Cleopatra in the still of night.
Beneath the African stars, their souls did meet, Two rulers, two worlds, their love bittersweet.

Cleopatra:

"My kingdom of sand and Nile’s flowing grace,
I’ve seen empires rise, yet in your eyes, I trace, A depth, a fire, a heart untamed.
But in this world, our love remains unnamed."

Shaka:

"Oh Queen of Egypt, with eyes like the dawn, I’ve led warriors fierce, seen nations drawn, Yet in your presence, I am but a man, Trapped in the binds of fate’s cruel hand."

Cleopatra:

"The gods, they mock what we cannot grasp, Two souls, divided by the ages’ clasp. If I could sail the Nile to your distant land, I’d leave my throne, take your hand."

Shaka:

"But I, too, am bound by blood and stone,
A king who cannot leave his home.
For though my heart yearns for your gentle touch, My people, my duty, demand too much."

The wind carried their sighs through the night, Two rulers, two lovers, in the pale moonlight. But time was a river that they couldn’t cross, And love, like kingdoms, was burdened with loss.

Cleopatra:

"If only we had been born in the same breath,and generation.
To rule side by side, until the end of death.
But now, my king, our worlds must part,
Leaving behind only the ache in my heart."

Shaka:

"Farewell, my queen, in dreams we’ll unite,
But in life, we must walk alone in the night.
For history remembers the battles we've won, But never the hearts that bled, undone."

So they turned away, with heavy hearts and tears, Their love a secret, lost to the years. For even the greatest, who history sings, Are slaves to time and the sorrow it brings.

© Thabiso Dube