(2 poems)
by Vera Mihailovich-Dickman
City Buzz
Johannesburg
Becoming a truly African city –
which it has been, but not for all
and perhaps not African in the eyes of many
not African in lifestyle, even if in Africa
Johannesburg
Bursting with curiosity, the urge to discover
what it doesn’t yet know
the urge to be on a par
with Lagos, Dar es Salam, Addis Ababa
not really Cairo but perhaps Casablanca
Jozi-Alex-Soweto – beyond Casablanca!
Johannesburg
A destiny quite distinct from that of Cape Town
more urgent
taking more risks
steppin’ out
daring to show and share
über-urban
Contradictory
Johannesburg
Do I have to betray my father to love you?
Or are there no betrayals in love?
Perhaps he loved you just as much
Without knowing you as I do
Under the Southern Cross
4th Sept 2016, BA flight JHB-London
I leave
by crescent moon
lights below reflecting the high life
while absence of light may reflect the low life
The country is almost 22
a youth
attempting to find its way
Within it
those who have had it all (despite exceptions)
those still dreaming
those who can participate in the dialogue:
the artists
the business people
the entrepreneurs
the office holders
the workers
the students
the teachers
There is a desire to live in a new, changed country
There is mistrust of the time it takes
I come from the Old Guard
the Protected
my father thought that change would be for foreign power
an invasion he would fight
Yet I feel hope
I feel proud
There are Voices
I would like to be one of them.
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