an almost forgotten acquaintance
was in town recently
i noticed that it started raining
...
they finally laid him to rest
the little man without a kingdom or slaves
he lived in a house without mirrors or theories or velour
which is why from a distance
...
boy Marley
armed & ganjaras
soffly soffly his spliff a mystrical cloud
thirsty as he pores into the book
...
Seitlhamo Motsapi, a South African poet whose works have been published in many anthologies and international journals, was born in 1966 in Bela Bela, Limpopo. Motsapi's collection, earthstepper / the ocean is very shallow was published by Deep South in 1995 and reprinted in 2003. His poetry is characterised by social and political commitment.)
The Man
an almost forgotten acquaintance
was in town recently
i noticed that it started raining
just as he ambled in
i remember him as a simple man
growing up, we all wanted
to be doctors, lawyers & teachers
so the blood could ebb out of the village
my friend had much more sober dreams
he asked the heavens to grant him
the imposing peace of the blue-gum in his backyard
& that all the poor send him their tears
so he could be humble like the sun
so the red wax of the stars would not drip onto him
i remembered that man today
& all i think of is his unassuming radiance
like that of a blushing angel
as for his dreams
he tells us
whole forests invade his sleep at night
so that there's only standing room
for the dreams
I love โthe man'. Stunning! Are you the writer Perhaps the writer I gave a drawing to at a Carlo Mombelli gig years ago in Melville? ๐๐