double-helixed uBuntu.
these interwoven veins,
dna,
double-helixed,
microscopic,
binding us, all of us,
together, as one,
species, one race,
human,
me & you
us,
all,
through
this common
shared
truth:
‘I am because you are’*
all of us
together
as one
me & you = uBuntu*
* – uBuntu is an isiXhosa/isiZulu concept that espouses the “belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity”
walking through the crowd …
alone
not lonely
traversing oceans
skipping mountains
tugged by beckoning smiles
absorbed along
endless miles
seeking strands of hope
loosely strung
untying the noose
where desolation once hung
while
scribbling verses unfathomably obtuse
discarding meter and rhyme
frantically
chasing ever-fleeing time
knowing
my moulting skin
is all that i have to lose
while still
walking through the crowd
alone
not lonely
an outsider
always
seeking peace
within
ever hopeful
of gentler days
when
healing may begin
soothing the soul
casting off leaden weight
of so much that has in tne past,
past
The African Rains …
Soaking,
the rains settle,
meandering over jagged faultlines of our memory.
Drenching,
the rains settle,
streaming through veins,
the thud-thudding of the heartbeat of Africa.
Absorbing,
the rains that settle,
within each of us,
herald rebirth.
And,
if you listen,
if you strain to hear,
while shedding the raucous noise of your inner turmoil.
If you listen,
the whispers of the ancestors,
speak to us all,
lending us warmth,
urging us to stand,
even though we may
stumble,
even though we may fall.
a shared mosaic.
threads
intertwined
bind
him
her
you
&
i
together.
earthy
shades
colours
hues
fuse
him
her
you
&
i
together.
one mosaic
one world
one race
human …
him
her
you
&
i
together …
searching for better days …
seizing breaths
frantic
breaths ever fleeing
grasping
holding on
fingers raw
mind a sprawl
while below
the cackling sniggering chasm
hungers
for
marinade
in
the
grinder
souls numb absolved as dumb
hearts hard admiringly referred to as being hardy
fester
ever on
and on
rotting
making a stink
slipping
deeper into
inviting arms
plush sofas
leather chairs
plastic smiles
promises of far too many miles
all yet to be trodden upon
many yet to be trampled on
but all that too shall be all lost in the haze
while scavenging
ravenous
covetous
looking
searching
trampling onwards
trodding
ever on
and upon
anyone
anything
just chasing the dream, man …
why do tears fall from broken eyes
in blinding times of the lies of the wise
when spurious tongues dribble and drool
deeply enmeshed in the cesspool
of me myself and i …
when hunger is leased
venom slips through unleashed
me myself and i
as the scavenging resumes
its shutup
and its buy-bye…
Scribbled Verse 