I am a ventriloquist who uses both the Bible and oracle cards to dig into people's pasts, present and futures. For personal purposes, I also occasionally throw bones. I translate some of these 'rare moments' into poems that not only offer personal healing but also serve as media through which I transverse alternative worlds of thoughts. This collection is a creative engagement with my Xhosa heritage from both personal and historical perspectives. That is the platform that Dark Lines of History utilizes, a creative ownership of both individual and collective histories. Sithembele Isaac Xhegwana is an award winning South African poet presently working as a curator for Amazwi South African Museum of Literature. His debut novel, The Faint-Hearted Man was published by Buchu Books in 1991 and was longlisted for the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa.