like jesus by Phillippa Yaa

Phillippa Yaa de Villiers | February 15th, 2016 | a poem a day challenge, poetry | No Comments

Poem

I wish like jesus I could swan
across westdene dam        in my purewhite tekkies
to tell you things like
I am a miracle waiting to happen to you
if only you believed

I want to tell you
stand up and walk, walk away from that
skorokoro wheelchair that they donated
‘cos they don’t need it since oubaas died
you also don’t need it

walk away from that man who strangles your neck
with his pet hungry python, walk away
because you can a ke re I believe in you
and when you’ve broken
free, you will run
with your gladdening footsteps
stomping the red ants,
trampling the disappointment
to sommer sault up
lighter and lighter
new rain on the dry pavement
we walking like jesus on a land
that is changing all the time
into something we can drink
into something that keeps us alive

Glossary


tekkies – sneakers
skorokoro – jalopy, beaten up but still moving car
oubaas – old master
a ke re – i’m telling you
sommer – just, merely

Poet Bio

Phillippa Yaa is a lecturer in the creative writing department at Wits University who is enamoured with creativity and poetry and the people who make it

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