Response To A Prompt My Lecturer Gave:
13-2-1.
Matted and free flowing
crocheted wool
hung loosely, at-ease,
from a patient chin.
Rule-lined and pressed
processed-factory-cotton
– Scalped.
Conquered remains,
of a buzzing-restless-impatient blade.
_
Borrowed psychedelia:
A bright theme and variations on light,
of a bygone, by-going era
- yet, to be gone by again – in another time,
in another place
By another race of sunburnt hearts.
(For they so loved the world…)
Traditions of traditions:
traditional renditions
of young men in blazers and dress-ties.
_
In 1969, thousands of Xhosa initiates
under the garb and comforting cover
of homogenous heavy blankets
made their way to ‘the mountain’,
the lighting way-up is truly incredible sometimes
– on clearer crisper days,
as they made their way up,
like any other year.
The Summer of Love found thousands marching
in uniform drips-and-drabs
wearing the coats Nature gave them
under the cover of stars
It rained a bit - stopped - rained some more
An exceptional year - 1969.
_
Pluralists preach pulpiteer in unison
their faith
(in) their knowledge of all that matters.
(Voices pretending to know everything)
Soloist-advocates
wax on to the gathered
their knowledge
of nothing but love and the lack thereof.
(Voices pretending to know nothing)
_
The ever-ready
greeting grins
of those loathsome-lovable
proprietors of sin. (To be disrobed:
rung-out and clean-pressed. On tuesday evenings
and sunday afternoon limbo, and other long dark
tea-times and come-downs of the soul.)
The omnipresence
of saluting shiny buttons
and doubly-sewn weighty badges.
(In every on-going field of war and on every street corner
big brothers, anywhere and everywhere,
To be watched by us.)
_
At Thirty:
four parents
three more rungs on the ladder
two salaries
two more mouths to feed
a four-door
a lawn
a dog
one tennis-shoe-in-a-tumble-dryer heartbeat
one pair of open eyes at 3AM
one very constricting neck-tie
ten reasons to buy a new ’82 Pontiac and have an affair with an air-hostess.
At Thirty:
one moderately-priced “sports car”
one world illuminating idea
one dog
one plate
one pillow
one toothbrush
fourteen oversized and drafty dress-shirts with virgin top-buttons
any number of meaningless numbers in a phonebook.
_
These self-defined and self-defining threads
–thirteen to one –
comfort and encase
us all
.
