11 March 2014

THE IMPERIAL GHETTO

THE IMPERIAL GHETTO  
© Farouk Asvat  

Muezzins cry
Into the humid grey maze of the city
Competing for clients,
Where shopkeepers blare Indian film hits
From Madressa Arcade:
Standing on the corner with me
A lonely man watches the world go by;
A hunchbacked midget ambles along
In a red shirt and yellow tie
Smiling the clever smile of the wise;
The naughty streetcorner kids
Take an eyeful of the nubile schoolgirl
Shyly hurrying home in her short uniform;
An unkempt fellow in dirty overalls
Says he loves the Indians
- of America -
An ironic glee in his eyes;
A dishevelled wench throws a casual kiss
Into the late afternoon air
To nobody in particular
Lazily walking along with her albino pimp,
Hiding a flick-knife under his lumberjacket
Heartily responding to the foul obscenities of logic
Gushing forth from the drunkard staggering by;
The smartly dressed troubadour singing
     Is this the life?
     Is this the ghetto
     We wish to preserve?


© farouk asvat

composed: 26.08.1982 [Grey St, Durban, South Africa under apartheid]

[] Acknowledgements:

The Imperial Ghetto was previously published in:

     The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (piquant publications, p86, 2006);
     www.faroukasvat-poems.blogspot.com (11.03.2014);
     The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (kindle, 2014);
     The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (amazon paperback, p84, 2014).
______________________________________________________________
[§] Books by Farouk Asvat:

Sadness In The House Of Love (novel)
The Gathering Of The Storm (novel)
This Masquerade (short stories)
I Dream In Long Sentences (poetry)
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (poetry)
A Celebration Of Flames (poetry)
The Time Of Our Lives (poetry)
Bra Frooks … (poetry)*
The Paanies Are Coming (short stories)*
In The House Of Love (novel)*
Weapons Of Words (comparative literature & literary criticism)

¨ all my books are now available on amazon: in paperback & kindle
______________________________________________________________
© farouk asvat.  All rights reserved.

Farouk Asvat asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, or transmitted in any form or any means whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, including recording, printing, photocopying, or via any computerised means or media, including the internet.  This publication shall also not be stored in a retrieval system.  And the writing shall not be sold, lent, hired, resold or circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published,
without the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission to publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the author.
Reproduction of this work without permission, except for scholarly & nonprofit purposes,
is liable to a payment of 10, 000 ren men bi or US$ 1,500.

farouk asvat can be contacted at: farouk.asvat@gmail.com

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[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness In The House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: in paperback @ $15 & kindle @ only $5
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