For better, for worseSanitize, Maintain social a distance, Sneeze into your elbow Did anyone stop to think Of that man working in the far off lands? Lockdown! He is holding a hammer The last nail needs to be hit He is holding a syringe He can’t put it down Lockdown! Final warning Mummy where is daddy? Quiet ,Princess, he will be here soon! Inwardly she is conflicted What if he has the virus-- Am I prepared to die with him Somebody is there a law for spouses ? He is knocking on the door Stand back! She says Open up darling , I missed you I have to sanitize you Did you really miss me? I missed you but please I need to call help line I need a home test kit My husband might have Covid-19 Darling, can I get in? Daddy is home, mummy Stay back! Honey ,you said for better, for worse Let me in Put on the mask ,Wash your hands ,Remove your clothes Wait, you coughed Are you scared l will infect you ? But you said for better, for worse? ‘What Have You Brought Us’She chants from the pavements She is not a beggar She is the queen of the black market Her head is adorned with a white doek She has more currency than the world bank She is more powerful than a graduate The rate is dictated by her mood They envy her trade They envy her dominion She has no office The pavements are her office She is her own pay master Her pay slip is engraved in her heart Her skin glows in the city sun Her bosom is round and warm where powerful currencies are shoved In her business there is no room for negotiations It's a take or leave it . Ebony BlackI’m ebony black Never been bleached. Beautiful like a black petunia I walk to the interview room leaving other hopefuls behind. He barks ‘enter' I slide into his office, my resume in my sweaty palms He frowns, I smile. My African teeth crooked and pointed Escape from my lips The holes in my nose big and gaping Suck the air in his office My hair kinky and neatly combed Stands at attention. He weighs me and guffaws ‘ No job’ I mumble a weak ‘ thank you’ Unspoken thoughts fight for freedom to be heard My brother , you didn’t check my resume I have a masters, a bachelor's, wait, a diploma underneath all that I have ten years experience I have an award and a certificate of excellence I did voluntary work I helped an old lady cross a busy street I rescued a snared puppy I decrypted an intriguing password I worked twenty five hours a day My black skin did not interfere My crooked teeth stayed well inside my lips I have never bleached brother, but I can work forty eight hours a day if you want. Getrude They do not call her Getrude for nothing: Her ways are cunning She waited until he settled. Watched him commit to the woman Felt less of a woman Weaved a plan to unseat the woman Shredded her dignity with midnight calls Upset her with lost messages Ruffled her calm life by siring an innocent child To be used as an armour To fight her battles for recognition To have a perfect excuse to call in the middle of the night To show up on his graveside To request a share of the inheritance To demand acceptance In an open wound of deceit Did she really have to do this to the poor soul? But did he really have to defile his vows? To take the man of cloth for granted To devour his share but still rove hungrily He is gone now She is gone now That innocent soul is left With an identity crisis and negative labelling Star-crossed LoverHe loved me when no one would He brought me wild fruit in a wooden plate He squeezed the teats of the mother cow whilst I opened my mouth under its bulging udder Feeling the warm milk fill my mouth He aimed at a lone bird with his sling shot and offered me its fire roasted meat on our date. He glided with me on the slippery rocks of Tshangane River After an adventurous swim with the crocodiles He kept his eyes on the herd of cattle grazing on the plain While his hand caressed my cheek We rolled in the dewy grass He smelt of cow dung and unprocessed milk Of the wild umkhemeswane fruit And the bold sweat of toil in the green fields He respected my innocence Spoke of sending a delegation to my family Of giving my father a herd of cattle Of siring strong little boys and girls Of a thousand moons passed in the most elegant pose Of counting stars and singing along with the rain bird Of changing seasons, flowing rivers and crackling fire in winter ‘What Have You Brought Us’ She chants from the pavements
She is not a beggar She is the queen of the black market Her head is adorned with a white doek She has more currency than the World Bank She is more powerful than a graduate The rate is dictated by her mood They envy her trade They envy her dominion She has no office The pavements are her office She is her own pay master Her pay slip is engraved in her heart Her skin glows in the city sun Her bosom is round and warm where powerful currencies are shoved In her business there is no room for negotiations It's a take or leave it.
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