Often.now and then in a frolic line provoking humour
Whining about not escaping the compulsory sleep,
An unrelenting labour punctual on duty which is paid daily.
Waking up in a vivid dawn with the sun resting on the horizon
With a resilient spirit prickled many times and yet sound,
Battling the severe day playing hide-and-seek with loan sharks
A game deriving no pleasure;with the unsavoury wolf at its toil
Impersonal it is hovering over his family a rest is seldom.
Bargaining rather sheepishly for the imperative piece jobs
Which in attainment he executes his work with perfection;
Resignedly with aching muscles and tendons then a strained back
Wounding his ailing body which dared the flaming fires on an arson attack
Provoked by sinister motives of his enemies which in between
Astonishingly peculiar,his long dead wife was a mastermind.
A story outlined by feuding kins at loggerheads
The maternal side worshiped witchcraft at a certain extent
The paternal side worshiped Jesus to tackle hindrances.
Then the union which gave birth to two children boys
The merriment times which nonethelessly must be cherished
For they brought transient pleasure before jealousy or liquor
Cause a stir perpetuating long rivalry ending the union.
The work now finished with broadening non at might whines the employer
Pinpointing many causes of his blunders then downscale the payment,
O!Such toil in a blazing day with unforgiving hunger beautifying
Their verandah`s,plastering their walls,concreting their floors for mere Peanuts-a Pyrrhic victory of its nature.Grumbling about the injustice nor
Whining prove futile an unworthy exercise to lay waist the strained energy.Treading down to some debilitated shebeens to shed away stress with fellow mates all distressed imbibing and puffing,
Relishing some common sense politics and off the press news
Staring down a parting day to end th`r mirth and go to critical homes.
High in note,swashbuckling from one side to another of a street
Vocal in volubility finding his way back which he never misses:
Then dancing ululating some gospel songs reciting prayers
And bring drama to a falling night which enthralls the neighbours
Mesmerized on stoeps cheering only hands clapping and juveniles
Bubbly imitate frivolously deriving more pleasure for him to continue,
Dancing away the destituteness of his gutter
And all lost are forgotten momentarily
no more whining nor stressing about the day
Or convening with his egoistic employers nor unruly children
Whom always fire demands,this and that relentlessly.
Now fades the crowd with content eyes and unruly sleep at might
Calling them to beds,exhausted till tossing not to a bed
He sees his boys to embarrassed nor ashamed of him
Pulling a grin to his jokes yawning and stretching to bed,
He never grew tired of telling his boys of how much he loves them.
Dawn broadens and soberness leaps with a dwindling hangover
And two main thoughts imperative surging:
Take the money and buy potatoes and a maize meal
To push the days further to month end or
Pay-off outstanding debts from loan sharks
To restrain some debts and to save a lot of pension money.
'Lord the creator of earth and heaven,he cries:
I serve you the most upholding the doctrines no matter what
Visiting your holy house unequivocally praising your worth
I brought my boys in your name instilling values and principles
All my actions are clear trailing in your path
Not deviating always worshiping in good and bad times
I treat right every species as I would like them to treat me
And yet I suffer none good comes in my way
This is not novel to my being for I always suffered:
Glancing at distant past adversaries marred my life
my own biological father loathed me and chased my blood everywhere,
The absurd beatings with a club for not falling prey
To his horrid tricks as I always herd the flocks of cows in lone splendour
With no food.No single complain came from the farmers
They adored me!I always chopped the oak woods to fine pieces
With a loose blunt axe every dawn and dusk and ne`er complained,
My sisters worshiped me!I always executed irksome chores faultlessly
Everything to perfection!My cardinal sin was to be keen on sight
And with invalid mother gone maids came and played.
Wretchful he cursed for I saw and quiten and that battered my life
With strenuous chores,common beatings and one in particular
Where in the darkened room with little beaming light forced to floor with a fist then clubbed till the club broke and batterered with a stick till it broke,still raging in loathing anger punching and punching till I was numb and finally with a foaming face and exhausted knuckles seeing
My breath still confined in the carcass he drew a knife
Firmly clutched in a soared fist ready to pounce and set free my soul;
Something miraculous happened that stopped a knife from stabbing
I saw in his face a trembling fear coupl`d with stark astonishment
He pushed hard exerting every muscle but the knife stood still.
Great Lord and Forefathers you saved my life transitory as I slowly
Felt death crouching over my wretched body closing every pore
The heart pulse fading with a beat,I wept in silence
With every peripheral system shutting down slowly the central core
Shunted I lay sordidly on a pool of blood in the darkened room
Desolated and less traveled I heard in distance children playing
Shouting aloud the herds grazing with frolic and then in that stance
Light faded...and soon I was sound donned in white in a panoramic place of whiteness I threw my eyes around and I saw a white gate
Treading unknowing of its fate slowly nearing in fascination
A voice came from above from great-grandmother MaShongwe
"Go back my child,it is not your time"what transpired then I cannot
Fully comprehend but I treaded back suddenly I woke up from a dream/vision to my sordid wretched self aching.In time I healed then I were a runaway and never came back for my blood was hunted and my dear life at great risk:I know deep forests darkest secrets which elude an ordinary mind.
I know caverns most unexplored secrets which breath in the night
For I dwelt in these nightmares and prayed each hour for safety.
As I`ve devour wild plants in hunger sipped water from the rivers with Cows and reposed on weaved boughs to keep away from the jackals and the stabbing cold for a great time.Till one day sacred I met a Sotho Boy equable,on the fields.Me and him we grew a fast bond I divulged My sombre circumstances surprise stricken he took me to a boer farm Where I derived pleasure not only of routine labour of planting grains,Hoeing weeds,minding the Boer herds of flocks and a lump of Five bob a month but it derived from security of an ordinary life like Every boy in the farm which never lasted
As the word circled that he is hunting for my blood
Transient pleasure forsaken and surging darkness at might
Again I were a runaway to nowhere panting in frowning darkness
Howling winds roaring a shuddering roar
Wild animals wailing in a dreaded forest
Restless spirits flickering in the night
Frightening my unsettled conscience again my dear Sotho friend adored
My company volunteered showing me some far farm in the thrashing Night,fraught with unsurpassed frightfulness.Now settled the Wandering conscience in this new life in which the master worshiped me And terminated my stagnate toil in the strenuous fields to a more Luxurious labour of minding his child all day long strolling with a Perambulation in the master`s yard watering the garden eating
In the same table with his cordial family.
My accent of Afrikaans eloquent and distinct was my main advantage
Eluding the rest then raging jealously rose with fierce threats
And swearing I avoided.Somehow he traced mt trail and came to the Farm in search for his long seen prey,that van made rounds and I saw It packed to brim with savage men.Having acquired elaborate directions
To a new farm as far as possible I treaded in a moon-lit darkness
Panting in exhaustion with a breaking dawn still the journey gestured all Day with little reposing.I wept not in those travelling days for i have Had worst living with the mamba`s in the forests slept on trees on a Raw winter and knew which plant is edible nor safe for gorging,knew Which wild fruit held water inside to quench thirst when rivers run dry.
I prayed and prayed as always then on a dying week of soared feet
Galled in exhausted body bent and suckl`d of energy there lied a Promise land.With toil hefty executed to perfection
My new master recited praises of me with content daily growing Jealously on fellow peasants and resentment,the master appointed me
To a new labour less severe and less straining;I cared the yard with the
Nursery garden,music to my ears.On a Sunday kos visited the Master`s dad promising new ventures a new life on a new place
Far far out of sight one thought raged:'I`m Free and never harassed Again and this a threshold to a new merry beginnings a fresh start of
An ordinary life although I desperately longed to see my family again(my invalid mother and three little sisters Betty,Sonto and Ntombi) all behind at Marabastat but I hoped one day I will come and
See them,a day or a two I were to go frantically with wilderness a Flickering desire harbouring wishes of expediting the creeping days Yearning to witness this promissory life far away I nearly collapsed
Consumed with great excitement sandwiched with an element of Surprise which fails language to construe:my mother came ravishing as Ever to take me to Newcastle with no hesitation I went sorrows ended;
Either way my wish was granted.Lord!Truly you`re remarkable with Your miracles again on a different note you saved my life for that I Thank you'
To every men nothing is more important than his family his only boys
Most adored by neighbours citing their sound temperament:
You`ll never see them swashbuckling in the street at nightfall nor Cornered in corners romanticizing girls nor with deceptive mates Folding and puffing but glued to books and most admired for their Shrewdness and for that he was conceit.Finally with a weighed choice
Ponder`d then a conclusive rationale;he takes the money and gives it To them,to hell with the swindling loan sharks he will live for another Day.The only time when the stagnate routine of sheepish Sheepishness of braving each coming day delving for the imperative Piece jobs making debts for basic necessaries changes is when month End greets with besieged market area droning in volubility and vigour of Pension days
The wolf is dispell`d and kept at bay
He nags not the populace for some job
His boys bothers not neighbours beseeching
It`s all pleasure and rapture transitory!
