i was recently introduced to the Poetry of Shiksha Dheda, who i stumbled upon on the Twitterer. She graciously offered to send me a copy of her book, 'Washed away' and i offered to share a little bit of her story here. Her poetry is definitely worth a look and i hope a number of you will buy her book, which is available online. But first let me allow Shiksha to introduce herself to [...]
This morning i got a little inspired and wrote a poem on the Twitterer that goes a little something like this: WE BUILD A COUNTRY we build a country not by voting or protesting or even trying to hold leadership accountable although all of those might be important and deeply necessary rather we build a country by showing up actively loving our neighbour (All of them!) building bridges and longer tables! = [...]
The first time i met Ekta Somera was on the Twitterer [as @madeinpoetry]. The second time was in a mall in the Chatsworth Centre Mall after she had just been finished being interviewed for Sunrise FM radio.Ekta very wisely brought her dad with her [cos you never know with meeting strange old white men who you connected to on the internet]... and i brought my mate Dreadlock Mike [cos you never know with meeting strange [...]
"Can we please stop talking about race?" You demand as you casually spit out "those people" As an insult to group all your prejudice into one demongraphic Unaware that you are talking about my friends. And the beautiful children of my friends. And their friends. And their friends. And. Their. Friends. It's as if your fear of the unknown Has manifested into your own inner demons Which are circling the deep chasm between Your [...]
Another of the poems i wrote in the Philippines. This one was inspired by these incredible tiny almost see-through crabs that ran around on the beach where we were staying. They moved super fast and they were really small and literally almost transparent and so there was more the idea of them than the creature itself. They fascinated me and got me thinking about people on social media... They hide in crevices In holes, [...]
This poem is something very different and nothing i have tried before. Each line has one word that has been changed to a word that sounds or looks like the expected word, but that still somehow conveys meaning to the piece. Even the lines that seem absurd, if you give them a bit of thought work on different levels. i didn't set out to make a poem like this. i started with the first [...]
Eye glued to a box in the most beautiful setting on earth Hands nailed to a stick as you move to ensure the light is just right Finger stuck to record a historic moment you missed And will not likely watch again, for the first time The sun goes down and all you're left with are 1's and 0's And the memory of what might have been If only you'd paid it any sort [...]
Beneath my Doubt lies the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle Just about out of reach. Where Certainty used to rest, There now stands a rocking chair That patiently listens to my stuttering questions Before nodding in an almost hypnotic refrain. Hanging behind my fears are the What ifs All tangled up as one with the What if nots A wretched knot of impossibilities and probabilities Each masquerading as the other. I can just [...]
There's a hole in my soul Where you used to fit so snugly And now it's all I can do to Stop all the little pieces From pouring out on to the ground = = = = = = = = = = [For another poem, titled 'The Cabin', click here]
As i walked along the pebbly beach I came upon a tiny fish Lying on the sand next to a stream It wasn't very large at all Just a tiny little thing As I watched, it jumped And bounced three times across the water Before settling once more upon the river bank Just lying there A fish out of water "Get into the water," I thought in my head To the fish, but not [...]
