Page 35 - LOCKDOWN POETRY

-------- lockdown poetry --------

Sometimes

Sipho M

sometimes,
we, participate
in our own debasing
we, contribute
in our own degrading
we, spearhead

our own termination
white people: I miss you
black people: ke o kwatetse
our jokes are self-mutilating tools
hanging ourselves as objects of ridicule
to nations that have never loved us
we provide dossiers of evidence
in the case they made against us
on a charge of stupidity of proportions
we, mock in disdain

those whose English is amiss
we, demand they explain
those who can’t define the hard words we speak
yet our own languages gather dust
in the museums of our forgotten shelves
we meet for drinks with anyone who thinks
our kid who only speaks English is a feat
we, wear with pride the great international brands

spare no penny in gathering them from afar lands
we strut proud in Versace, Polo, Lacoste and Gucci
our esteem spikes at the sight of these and such garments
we proudly wear a Ney York cap but reject a Maftown cap
because ‘I’m not from Mafikeng’
we proudly show off the Levi label on a jean
but demand Tsepo remove his name from his equally quality jean
to borrow from the Pauline Galatian denunciation
Africans, who has bewitched us,

Why do we participate in our own debasing
contribute to our own degrading
spearhead our own termination

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