27 May 2014

WHERE BLUE SKIES CRY ...

WHERE BLUE SKIES CRY IN THE AFTERNOON  
© Jill Townsend  

The sun scorches
Where blue skies cry
In the afternoon

The land breathes
In cross-currents of emotions
Collisions of oceans and winds
Reflect the minds and spirit
Of the people

Complexities and contrasts
Flourish and divide
Into pockets of resistance
Spiritually uplifting
Emotionally draining
Ebbing away into vast flatlands

Tall towers mirror
Dark secret places

There is corruption in power
As there is corruption in suffering
Breeding greed, betrayal and guilt.

Today is negated
By tomorrow.
Today is always more important
Than yesterday.

Uniforms and rhetoric
Disguise the soul
Masks fit every face
But never the eyes
- The eyes
   always tell
   another story -
So that every truth
Is also a lie


by kind permission of © Jill Townsend
_____________________________________________________________________________

letter/poem from Jill Townsend:
composed: 10.03.1986
[Carlton Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa under apartheid].

     * I decided to include this letter/poem from Jill Townsend to me, as it was so incisive and perceptive in capturing the essence of South Africa and its people in the 1985-1987 period.  I was quite determined that The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs would be my last attempt to represent the events in South Africa in poetry; and so I felt that Jill's letter was an essential part of that portrayal of the country, its people, and its turmoil.  It should perhaps rather have been part of my collection A Celebration Of Flames, capturing the events and emotions of the mid 1980's. 

     Anyway, Jill's poem also reminded me of Basil Davidson's Report On Southern Africa (1952), which also gave an insight into the people of South Africa, with a profundity that South Africans themselves refuse to see, and are reluctant to appreciate.  The book was obviously banned in South Africa throughout the apartheid era, and Basil himself was considered persona non grata after his visit, and was unfortunately never able to return to the country to give the people of South Africa a valuable insight into themselves, during its many years of turmoil. 

§ farouk asvat
_____________________________________________________________________________
[] Acknowledgements:

Where Blue Skies Cry In The Afternoon was previously published in:

     The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (piquant publications, p106, 2006);
     The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (kindle, 2014);
     The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (amazon paperback, p103, 2014).

<> blog archive: 27 may 2014
_____________________________________________________________________________
[§] Books by Farouk Asvat:

Sadness In The House Of Love (novel)
The Gathering Of The Storm (novel)
I Dream In Long Sentences (poetry)
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (poetry)
A Celebration Of Flames (poetry)
The Time Of Our Lives (poetry)
This Masquerade (short stories)
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

______________________________________________________________
[] please check out my blogs @:


[] please join me on:


______________________________________________________________
© 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

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

#love #literature #fiction #novel #poetry #southafrica #apartheid #books #classics
#faroukasvat #weapons of words #comparative literature #literary criticism
#the #wind #still #sings #sad #songs
#where #blue #skies #cry #in #the afternoon #jill #townsend 


No comments:

Post a Comment