Spotlighting Pan-African Poetry

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n double side story.

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Besides die hoere , die vuilgatte, die prossies van 15 en slegte pa’s wat over die season die hele huis op hol dja,
Besides die tikkoppe en buttongatte, alcholics, sesse, agge, dixies en you name it
Besides die kinnes wat kinnes kry ennie laities wat vroegie skool los om full time jobs oppie hoeke te occupy.
Is da single ma’s wat sonne die sight van sleg pa’s kinnes reg grootmaak.
Is da oumas wat as djy ve die eerste keer jol toe gaan kamstag heelnag wasgoed was,
kindtie, dais weer om tussen die gewas en gespin jou voo liewe Jesus op te dra,
“Ag Here bewaar”
Da is aunties wat hulle seuns innie tronk besoek, al se wie wat.
Mense met harte, gedagtes, gevoelens en siele.
Is da mense wat wiet hoe dit voel om regtag wa lief te hê en seer te kry soema
altwee In een blow.
Nobba hoe stek djy claim djy is,
Os amal het tog een of anne tyd die kussing sloep nat gehuil.
Die reality is warrit is, os kannitie deny nie, ma daas two sides to a story.

The poem reflects the different viewpoints there exist about the people living on the Cape Flats. It is a reality that the Cape Flats are plagued with various socio economical issues and this cannot be wished away. The speaker in the poem is trying to give the reader a deeper insight into the lives of people living on the Cape Flats. The title suggests that there are always two sides to a story. There are all the things that are going ‘wrong’ on the Cape Flats but if you take a closer look, there’s also another side. The speaker is trying to shift the readers focus to the finer details of these people’s lives. Of how they are capable of caring and loving one another, even in the circumstances they are surrounded with.

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Shirmoney Rhode

Featured Poem:

Gangsters Paradise

Enlarge poem

Hulle het gister middag half past two my nephew en twee ander laaties geskiet,

Naby die hele Delfie Straat vanaf die bustop tot by die parkie af gesper,

Groen neon kringitjies getrek om al die bullet toppies,

Rooi en wit plastik band het die kamastage ernstigeid van die matter geemphasize.

Nou behalf jy bly hier of nie,

Hulle is besig met hulle werk,

Besig om bullet toppies op te tel.

Nou try om te imagine,

Twee nameless faceless gangsters daar oppie hoek gekommit,

Hulle guns uitgerukkit, en die innocent laities wat in die son staan geskietit.

Die een het hulle twee keer deur die kop geskiet,

Die ander eene deur sy wang by die kalkebeen uit,

My nephew is in die chest en in die mag geskiet,

En die ander ene in die voet.

Hulle is sestien, viertien, sevientien en twintig,

My broertjie van twalf hy se is die ag en twintags,

Ma die sesse het ding try te bewysit.

Ma die mense question tog nog once die laaties.

Hulle was almal seka ma skollietjies die aunties gese.

My nephew is in die hospitaal.

Krities.

Die doctors praat van die possibility dat hy nie gan kan loopie.

Ma is seka ma nie so bad nie.

All work on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 South Africa License.

Gangsters Paradise by Shirmoney Rhode

Download the audio file

How does this featured poem make you feel?

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  • Anger (4)
  • Delight (1)
  • Inspiration (1)
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  • Captivation (0)
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  • Amusement (1)
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  • Sadness (1)
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  • Jubilation (2)

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South Africa

Biography

Shirmoney Rhode is a young writer, poet and performer. She grew up in Elsies River, Cape Town. Many of her works reflect on her childhood experiences and give voice to the things that she experienced and continues to experience. She has seven of her poems published in 7de Re‘nboog, compiled by Florris Brown.

She has performed the works of various poets at seminars together with Prof Antjie Krog of the University of the Western Cape. She was also performed alongside Mak Manaka and Karin Schimke at the Badilisha Poetry X-change’s 100 Thousand Poets for Change.

She is studying at the University of the Western Cape and has recently completed her honours in Afrikaans & Nederlands. She is currently completing her post graduate diploma in education and thereafter she wants to pursue a career in journalism. She is passionate about what she does and uses her writing to inspire change; change of mind and change of heart.

Shirmoney Rhode

South Africa

Biography

Shirmoney Rhode is a young writer, poet and performer. She grew up in Elsies River, Cape Town. Many of her works reflect on her childhood experiences and give voice to the things that she experienced and continues to experience. She has seven of her poems published in 7de Re‘nboog, compiled by Florris Brown.

She has performed the works of various poets at seminars together with Prof Antjie Krog of the University of the Western Cape. She was also performed alongside Mak Manaka and Karin Schimke at the Badilisha Poetry X-change’s 100 Thousand Poets for Change.

She is studying at the University of the Western Cape and has recently completed her honours in Afrikaans & Nederlands. She is currently completing her post graduate diploma in education and thereafter she wants to pursue a career in journalism. She is passionate about what she does and uses her writing to inspire change; change of mind and change of heart.

n double side story.

Enlarge poem

Besides die hoere , die vuilgatte, die prossies van 15 en slegte pa’s wat over die season die hele huis op hol dja,
Besides die tikkoppe en buttongatte, alcholics, sesse, agge, dixies en you name it
Besides die kinnes wat kinnes kry ennie laities wat vroegie skool los om full time jobs oppie hoeke te occupy.
Is da single ma’s wat sonne die sight van sleg pa’s kinnes reg grootmaak.
Is da oumas wat as djy ve die eerste keer jol toe gaan kamstag heelnag wasgoed was,
kindtie, dais weer om tussen die gewas en gespin jou voo liewe Jesus op te dra,
“Ag Here bewaar”
Da is aunties wat hulle seuns innie tronk besoek, al se wie wat.
Mense met harte, gedagtes, gevoelens en siele.
Is da mense wat wiet hoe dit voel om regtag wa lief te hê en seer te kry soema
altwee In een blow.
Nobba hoe stek djy claim djy is,
Os amal het tog een of anne tyd die kussing sloep nat gehuil.
Die reality is warrit is, os kannitie deny nie, ma daas two sides to a story.

The poem reflects the different viewpoints there exist about the people living on the Cape Flats. It is a reality that the Cape Flats are plagued with various socio economical issues and this cannot be wished away. The speaker in the poem is trying to give the reader a deeper insight into the lives of people living on the Cape Flats. The title suggests that there are always two sides to a story. There are all the things that are going ‘wrong’ on the Cape Flats but if you take a closer look, there’s also another side. The speaker is trying to shift the readers focus to the finer details of these people’s lives. Of how they are capable of caring and loving one another, even in the circumstances they are surrounded with.

Featured Poem:

Gangsters Paradise

Enlarge poem

Hulle het gister middag half past two my nephew en twee ander laaties geskiet,

Naby die hele Delfie Straat vanaf die bustop tot by die parkie af gesper,

Groen neon kringitjies getrek om al die bullet toppies,

Rooi en wit plastik band het die kamastage ernstigeid van die matter geemphasize.

Nou behalf jy bly hier of nie,

Hulle is besig met hulle werk,

Besig om bullet toppies op te tel.

Nou try om te imagine,

Twee nameless faceless gangsters daar oppie hoek gekommit,

Hulle guns uitgerukkit, en die innocent laities wat in die son staan geskietit.

Die een het hulle twee keer deur die kop geskiet,

Die ander eene deur sy wang by die kalkebeen uit,

My nephew is in die chest en in die mag geskiet,

En die ander ene in die voet.

Hulle is sestien, viertien, sevientien en twintig,

My broertjie van twalf hy se is die ag en twintags,

Ma die sesse het ding try te bewysit.

Ma die mense question tog nog once die laaties.

Hulle was almal seka ma skollietjies die aunties gese.

My nephew is in die hospitaal.

Krities.

Die doctors praat van die possibility dat hy nie gan kan loopie.

Ma is seka ma nie so bad nie.

Gangsters Paradise by Shirmoney Rhode

Download the audio file

How does this featured poem make you feel?

  • Amazement (3)
  • Pride (1)
  • Optimism (1)
  • Anger (4)
  • Delight (1)
  • Inspiration (1)
  • Reflection (2)
  • Captivation (0)
  • Peace (0)
  • Amusement (1)
  • Sorrow (2)
  • Vigour (0)
  • Hope (0)
  • Sadness (1)
  • Fear (1)
  • Jubilation (2)

n double side story.

Enlarge poem

Besides die hoere , die vuilgatte, die prossies van 15 en slegte pa’s wat over die season die hele huis op hol dja,
Besides die tikkoppe en buttongatte, alcholics, sesse, agge, dixies en you name it
Besides die kinnes wat kinnes kry ennie laities wat vroegie skool los om full time jobs oppie hoeke te occupy.
Is da single ma’s wat sonne die sight van sleg pa’s kinnes reg grootmaak.
Is da oumas wat as djy ve die eerste keer jol toe gaan kamstag heelnag wasgoed was,
kindtie, dais weer om tussen die gewas en gespin jou voo liewe Jesus op te dra,
“Ag Here bewaar”
Da is aunties wat hulle seuns innie tronk besoek, al se wie wat.
Mense met harte, gedagtes, gevoelens en siele.
Is da mense wat wiet hoe dit voel om regtag wa lief te hê en seer te kry soema
altwee In een blow.
Nobba hoe stek djy claim djy is,
Os amal het tog een of anne tyd die kussing sloep nat gehuil.
Die reality is warrit is, os kannitie deny nie, ma daas two sides to a story.

The poem reflects the different viewpoints there exist about the people living on the Cape Flats. It is a reality that the Cape Flats are plagued with various socio economical issues and this cannot be wished away. The speaker in the poem is trying to give the reader a deeper insight into the lives of people living on the Cape Flats. The title suggests that there are always two sides to a story. There are all the things that are going ‘wrong’ on the Cape Flats but if you take a closer look, there’s also another side. The speaker is trying to shift the readers focus to the finer details of these people’s lives. Of how they are capable of caring and loving one another, even in the circumstances they are surrounded with.

Comments

Your email address will not be published.