Truth Poem by Mashilo Mnisi

Allow the truth be told,
Allow lie be sold.
We shall always live death,
As much as we live on earth.
Not because of grime,
And not resulting from crime.
Our brains must be possessed by creativity,
And as well our proclivity.

Mpotše, ke re ge, mokgalabje!
A fedile ruri ele mokgalabje!
Ga a sa kgona go šoma,
O fedile ke nto-fela o a šomišwa,
Bjalo ka lesea ge le hlakolwa,
O bjalo ka segole o a direlwa.

Thušang hle ka gore thušo yona ga e gona
Kgolofelang hle ka gore kholofelo yona ga e gona.
Le ka se kgone go thuša ka nnete?
Le ka se kgone go kgolofela ka neete?
Because, and because!
And of course
You can't help if you're helpless.
And of course everybody is hopeless.

All people will just watch see happening
And no person will face it happening.
People die from diseases,
The liver and kidney cannot take control of sugars.
People die from road accidents,
The remnants just hastily cut through the belly
People die from age slowly,
And the blood is stained to travel the vessels smoothly
People just don't wanna die
Because they don't wanna die.
But they just die.

No, they don't beseech to die,
They don't beg to die.
Those who do, don't know death.
Should they know before death,
They wouldn't wish to die

You wouldn't just wanna die.
You would tell if you see yourself,
If you see yourself after death.
See yourself lying there,
Unless you don't have any of the senses,
Seeing yourself,
Lying there hauled by decay.
You won't like it,
Tainting there deserted.
You can't feel anything,
But only stinking filth and rot ululate.
You, yourself there rotting and stinking.
You don't wish this, I bet.

Ke nnete!
Ga go seo re ka se dirago,
Efela ke ka lebaka la eng?
Ke re dikanyapa le dikgoroto,
Bo-Shaka, bo-Kennedy, bo-Hani,
Ke re bo-Sekhukhune, bo-Jackson, bo-Ndlovu,
Bo-Makeba, bo-Fassie, bo-Sisulu,
Ke re bo-Tambo, bo-Mandela, bo-Treunicht,
Bo-Hitler, bo-Benton, bo-Laden,
Ke re bo-King, bo-Mahlathini, bo-Hussein
And families too.

We were not meant to live,
Neither on Mars