20 August 2013

THE BEASTS THAT I HARBOUR ...

THE BEASTS THAT I HARBOUR IN MY HEART 
© Farouk Asvat 

          In the delicateness of the butterfly
          That flutters within your heart
                                                            you suffer.

     White pigeons scatter in our lovely garden.

The beasts that I harbour in my heart
Come to life at night,
Seconds tick on like threats in a timebomb:
The night is more awake and alive
Than our days filled with slaughter.

There is so much affection gone to waste
So much of the madness of love between us
That a shadow of disdain
Flits across your face,
While the fluttering ache of another poem
Comes to brood on my silent abdomen.

     With you I knew sadness;
     It creeped into our laughter.
     Misfortune was our companion
     Sadness piled upon sadness
     In the silence of the night.

Tenuously
I hold on to the rhythm of the seasons
Tenuously
I hold on to our hopeless revolution
     Your downy little dove trembling
     Between my tender loins
     Softening the creases on my rocky face,
     Oblivious of the ghost of savage mourning
     That grows talons in my chest.

          Still,
          I accept you with too many questions
          Lingering on the periphery of other dreams
          Dancing on the graves of other lovers
          Ululating with the ghosts of youngsters
          Dancing with machetes around our bed,
          Offering you everything
          As if there were no tomorrow.

          If only I could learn myself in you.
          If only I could
          Receive some of your forgetfulness
          As a blessing and a curse.

But the wraiths of other lovers
Writhe within our sheets,
Wailing ancestors
Dance in our dances,
While we try
To pirouette into oblivion,
Always the oblivion
Of the moment.

© farouk asvat

composed: 1983 - 1988 [Johannesburg, South Africa under apartheid] [v]
___________________________________________________________________________    
§ THE WIND STILL SINGS SAD SONGS by FAROUK ASVAT

AMAZON 5-star review *****
"If you like poetry you’ll love the way this poet writes.
 His voice and thoughts speak volumes in a way that can be understood by all.
 - an excellent read'' - Leslie Howell

GOODREADS 5-star review *****

"Currently reading a book of incredible poems by @faroukasvat
 called ''The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs''.
The title poem brought me to tears."
● Léonicka, Gutterheart, DynamicAfrica, et al

re: ''She Loved Me''
''So few words conveying so much. Beautiful bitter-sweetness.''
● Philip Low, G+

"The legend of poet extraordinaire Farouk Asvat: like vintage wine, proper poetry matures with time, and like vintage art the voice and wisdom of a poet worth the name is timeless."
● Mphutlane wa Bofelo, kagablog

"a guided tour of the souls of the South Africans he writes about and cares about.
 Hauntingly universal"
Thomas Rome, New York

"they are very powerful literary missiles: capable of the most beguiling love poetry,
 as can be seen in "Love Devours Me" ''.
Asha Naidoo, Legal Resources Centre, at book launch

"You are amazing!!!!! … vey impressive".
● Jill Townsend, Council of Grandmothers, Ojai, California, USA

"The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs" is an important addition to any discerning reader's literary collection."
● Victor Metsoamere, Sowetan
___________________________________________________________________________    
[§] 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 (literary criticism)

all my paperback & kindle editions
__________________________________________________________________________    
[] aknowledgements:
The Beasts That I Harbour In My Heart was previously published in:
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (piquant publications, p17, 2006);
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (kindle, 2014);
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (amazon paperback, p19, 2014).
__________________________________________________________________________    
© 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 yuan (ren men bi) or US$1,500.

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the NOVEL Sadness In The House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: in paperback @ $20 & kindle @ only $5
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