by Poppie Ntaka
Masihlangane emasimini ezinhliziyo zethu
Masamkele lesi memo esikhulu; masi’hloniphe
***
Usho uma usufikile
Mngane,
Ngihambe kahle bandla izolo. Ngifike kusakhanya, besavukile bonke abantu.
Bayakhonza bo. Ziyangibuza ney’ngane zithi uphi losisi omuhle owawuhamba naye?
Bathi uyakhumbuleka. Abawuvali umlomo ngomoya wakho onjengo buhle bakho
Angisak’tsheli,
ngithe ngijika ngaseMangamazini, ngingakafiki emthin’omhlophe, ngezwa ufukwe
usho
kakhulu usubika imvula ezayo, usubika ukubuya kwethu
kepha khona lapho ngizwe ngathi nguwe ongenayo,
kanti nangempela usuyangena emnyangweni yezinhliziyo zethu.
ngikubone sewehlela ngaseMgobhozini bese uqhamukela ngaseMthombeni,
usho ukhuphuka kanye nelanga lethu
Kuthe usufika esicongweni salaphaya ngakwaNgcobo,
Wangimemeza. Nami ngasabela.
Kwaphinda kwaba sengathi usubuyile
usuzongibambisa nazi izintsika ezis’sindayo.
***
Isidlo esiyovuka ngaso
Yiwona umkhululeko omkhulu lo wokuk’bona.
Ungumkhuleko wami wasekuseni,
uphinde ube umthemezelo wam’ wasemini.
***
Ngikufonela ngo-one bar, ngilokhu nginqamuka…
Bengithi asihlangane eMzinto kusasa. Ngizokwazisa uma sengiyogibela.
Ngilinde ngakaLayino noma ngilinde ngakuNonhlanhla…
Bengifisa ukuthola ibomvu nemphepho yamawele kuyena.
Ngiphathiswe uthulitha kapharafini ,umentshisi nespirithi esincane.
Ushibhoshi nowasoti
omahadla usakhona. Ungikhumbuze, ngingawukhohlwa uyisti…
Umkhulu usezoyigcwalisa igesi uma esedlula ezinkukwini ngaseRosnithi. Ikesi ledilinki
beselikhona, ugogo ubeselithengile. Sekushoda elikabhiya…
Noma sihlangane ngakaKFC? Uma sesiqedile asibambe noma iStreetwise sehlise
ngeKresti. Kuyothi uma sesilinde iStedi Bra, itekisi yokugcina, sisale sesizidla lezo
noy’bholi ,ebesizibekele u11- itiye lethu lakusihlwa.
***
Aba ndawonye
Kuthe ngivuka ngabona ngetiye libekwe ethileyini phezu kwedilesa
Likhashwe amaqebelengwane amathenisi
Ambozwe ngendwangu ebingakasebenzi
Kuphakame iphunga loju nomhlonyane osuxutshwe nekalamuzi nerooibos neminti
yasensimini yethu
Engikubonayo uwena usungisula izinyembezi,
usuhlala nami phansi emadwaleni
sizwe ukugigitheka kwethu sekubuya njengezwi likagogo elizothi
“sezethuliwe izingubo zokumbatha kulayini,sezingenisiwe endlini, seniyofica
sekundlaliwe kweyenu indawo”
***
Isipheko
Makube yizinhliziyo ezimhlophe eziyokusekela.
Mazikusingathe, zikubonise ikhaya.
***
Uze ungilinde ngaphesheya
Siyolindana ngisho nasekupheleni kwezinsuku zethu
kuthi singakafiki esundwini sichezuke endleleni esayihamba ndawonye
kuyothi noma sesihamba okok’gcina,
sesihamba siphambana, wena uza ngala mina sengiwelela ngaphesheya
siyokubona konke okwethu okwakukuhle okusekuhle namanje kusilandela
***
Okuyofika
Ngathi ungahlangatshezwa ngokuhle namhlanje
nakuzozonke izimini zakho
Kuthi um’usufika ekhaya
uficwe izihlobo zomphefumulo wakho sezikulindele
Kuthi uma sezifika izimvula ezinkulu zasehlobo
zisho zitheleka, zisho seziqinisa,
ngamanye amazwi,
kuyothi uma ses’fika emanzini, ses’fikela emachibini obungane,
yilapho siyolisondeza nganeno ilanga lethu,
kuze kube imisebe yalo esigcaba ezifubeni,
lisishiye nezinhlanga zokukhanya kwethu.
*
Umthandazo wokuvala
Makube iyona inhlangano yethu esibika ekuseni,isibika elangeni
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
By the waters of our friendship
Opening Prayer
Let us meet in the vast fields of our hearts
Let us honour and accept this great invitation
***
Let me know when you get home
Dear friend,
I travelled safely yesterday. I arrived before sunset, whilst everyone was still awake.
They send their regards. The children were asking me, “where is that beautiful lady that you
came with the last time?” they say that they miss you dearly; they cannot stop raving about your warm spirit that matches your unwavering beauty.
I wanted to tell you,
when I turned towards eMangamazini, just before I reached the White Poplar tree, I heard the Burchell’s Coucal calling for the rain, announcing our return
but at the same time, I then heard what sounded like you were coming in,
and indeed, you were entering the doors of our hearts,
I saw you heading towards eMgobhozini, then up towards eMthombeni like our sunrise
When you reached the peak of the hill by the Ngcobo residence
You called out my name, and I answered.
It was as if you were back again,
ready to help me carry these heavy pillars.
***
Breaking Fast
In my prayers, I am grateful to see you.
You are my morning prayer.
You are my afternoon meditation.
***
My phone’s battery is running low, I keep getting disconnected during our call…
I was saying, let us meet eMzinto tomorrow. I will let you know when I leave the house.
Wait for me by Rhino or by uNonhlanhla…
I was hoping to get some red clay and impepho for the twin spirited from her. I was asked to bring
2 litres of paraffin, matches and a small bottle of methylated spirits.
We still have Jeyes fluid and rough salt. Please remind me to also buy yeast…
Umkhulu will have to fill up the gas when he passes Roseneath, where they sell chickens. There is already a case of soft drinks that ugogo bought, and now all that is missing is a case of beer…
Or should we meet by KFC? When we are finished, let’s grab a Streetwise meal and a bottle of
Krest. When we are waiting for the last taxi home, the “Steady Bra”, we might as well eat those snowballs that we had reserved for u11- our evening tea.
***
Kin
When I woke up, I saw a tray with tea placed on the dresser
Tennis biscuits were placed specially on their own, covered by a clean, unused cloth
There arose a scent of honey and a mixture of umhlonyane, calamus root cuts, rooibos and some mint picked from our garden
What I see is you wiping away my tears,
sitting and talking with me on the large rocks behind the old house
we then hear our laughing echoing back as uGogo’s voice saying,
“The blankets have been taken off the washing line and have been brought into the house. We
have now prepared your place; may you be warm; may you feel that you belong”.
***
An offering
May it be people with good intentions that support you.
May you be protected, guided, and shown the way home.
***
Please wait for me on the other side
We will wait for each other even at the end of our days
and just before we reach the palm trees,
we will branch off from the path we used to walk together
when the moment comes,
when we leave this place for the last time
when we cross paths, you going this way, me going the other
we will see all the beautiful memories and things that are still good following us along the way
***
For what is to come
May you be met with all that is good today
and for the rest of your days
So that once you reach home
you will find your loved ones waiting for you on the other side
So when the heavy summer rains come,
when they come down hard,
in other words,
when we reach the water, when we reach the lakes of our friendship
that is when we will bring our sun closer
until its rays shine upon our chests
leaving us with incisions of our light.
***
Closing Prayer
Let it be our reunion that announces our arrival in the morning, announcing us to the sun