1
Charity remains the most violent
And lasting
Form of colonialism.
2
No gift comes without
A future request.
3
When people say, it is
From the Lord, know that
They will be asking something
Of you soon.
4
The people that hated Fidel
While he was alive
Will still hate him
When he is dead.
5
There will always be
One impimpi
One Judas
One family member
One flesh and blood
Like you
6
Newspapers say state capture
Began under Zuma.
History shows state capture
Began in 1652
When van Riebeeck arrived.
It’s also known
As colonialism.
7
People are braver in crowds.
At home they can change
The channels
To soap operas
And sport.
8
The Nobel Prize for literature
And the literary system
Of awards
And hierarchies
Does not affect
The quality of your writing
Nor the essence of what
You say
Nor is it strictly useful
To your content
Or even your readers'
Lives.
You will miss
The fact of your
Unimportance
Afterwards.
Still so many crave for it
And the violent gaze
Of recognition
Subconsciously
Do we want a knighthood
Too?
9
For every poem / poetic line
There will be ten
Exaggerated hashtags
10
For every original hashtag
There will be one hundred commercial
Adaptations.
11
People still think sport
Is the greatest nation builder
In our spectator democracy
Followed of course
By special holidays
12
Before the revolution gets underway
The powers that be
Have already changed their outfits
And are leading
The revolution
Against themselves
Staging
A surprisingly peaceful
Takeover.
13
People do not have fun
In learning.
Things that are not fun
Become violent
Starting with
The heated words
Of our egos
14
Learning should be free.
Data should be free, as it is
Another gateway to the book
Of the world.
Even the instagram pics
Have their own
Reality conveyed
The sharp points
Of captured light
And delineations of form
And the passing colour of
Being alive
Which can’t be summarised
In theses
But are found
With other realisations
The almost mundane
Beautiful insights
In the fourth dimension
Of all things
Suspended in the seemingly
Infinite
Online
15
Most importantly, living itself
Should be free
Followed immediately
By a permanent home
With a name suggesting
We are here to stay
Living
And at times
In love.
16
While modern art
Discusses the theory
And pictures are based
On a theory instead of
A theory based
On what is actuality
People take selfies
In varying perspectives
Of the miracle
Of light
Not thinking of the
Overused words
Truth and beauty
Or worse
Immortality.
17
Hatred will continue
In new forms
Long after the flashy
Takeover of all old
Ideas
And the rebranding
Of the dictatorship.
18
Be here
Look out the window
Everyday
Get out the house
Be on the street
Walk from place to place
An exile from every
Complacent truth
Awareness of your
Loneliness
Has its rewards
When you get back
Eat your phutu and black tea
Use words that describe
This actuality
Rather
Than start using your friends
Euphemisms.
19
A house without walls
Poetry
Is still the only place
I can stay in you
And not have to
Pay rent
Or dictate
Our lives
Or be
Dictated too.
20
Write about
Things you know
Know about
Things you write.
21
Language itself never does anything bad
To anyone.
We do it
With our open mouths
22
The trends will come and go
But the washing never ends.
archive - issue 20
- All
- AUDIOVISUAL
- POETRY
- WRITING
- Default
- Title
- Date
- Random
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How Are You Brother? Amen. It was 4p.m when the yellow van arrived, and I was glad. The Sunday breeze was slightly tinged with…Read More
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One – She wore her nakedness too well, it scared me. Two – Her breasts were a monument; a single one covered my universe whole - it…Read More
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An elaborate classical Roman arch frames Raphael's School of Athens (1509-1510), behind which three more arches advance towards a vanishing point; focusing the viewer's…Read More
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Vision is a wide-reaching concept. With this piece, I'm merging the physical/literal idea of vision, (as in seeing) with the idea of en-visioning. Watching…Read More
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Kyle Allan
Kyle Allan is a 29 year old poet, recording artist and events organiser. He has published a book of poetry, " House without walls" in 2016 and in 2013 released an album titled " Influences". He has organised numerous events including most recently the UHAF ( Underberg Himeville Arts Festival) fest in 2016 in the southern Drakensberg.