© Farouk Asvat
The
township comes to town
In their
Saturday bestTo a calendar full of foreign places
I have stopped dreaming of
Where it is still a wonder to behold
Amitabh Bhachan embracing Elizabeth Taylor
On the peeling walls of the barber shop
In defiance of the laws of the land
"We Do Not Allow Credits Here"
We know all
too wellWatching Overcoat Chacha reading the horses
Through a magnifying glass
While hen-pecked barber clip-clips away
In spite of the modern unisex salons across the road
As Enver Notorious
Who still bumps with the swagger of his youth
Comes in
And takes his usual seat rather obtrusively,
While the child looks with apprehension
At the dentist's chair upholstered in maroon:
Clerk, wife and two children,
All seated neatly in a row
Patiently waiting for their turn
Dreaming of the fading promises on the green wall
Before returning to their homely ghettoes
'I have
been in all
The racecourses of the country,'Mandrax Kapoor boasts,
'I know about horses, I tell you;
And I know about bets.
You just ask me.'
'Yes. But don't ask me for money.
People don't give you moneyTo pay your rent;
In that I've passed my matric,'
The Balding Barber asserts
With forced dignity.
"Allahnah
Goodana kassam.
But Hot Curry got no chance,I tell you,"
Junior Shariff predicts with confidence,
"Biryani is the horse for today's race;
Ask me.
And if you don't believe me,
Ask Kaka.
But where is that squint bastard anyway?
I haven't seen him for weeks."
'Kaka is in
jaihl,'
Mandrax
Kapoor informs him absently.
"Yes, I've heard.
Pulling time at the Fort;At Number Four,"
Enver Notorious confirms.
"Is that true heh?"
Junior Shariff feigns surprise;
"Kaka in jail heh?
But what was wrong with that bastard,
Staying with us?
But very independent,
Stupidly independent,
I tell you.
And what he does?
Gets involved in drugs.
Is that now something for our people to do?
I ask you,"
Junior Shariff continues
As the
snip-snip of the barbers carries on
And the
bright coloursOf another Saturday morning
Pass by in their hustle-bustle
To the cinemas
©
farouk asvat
composed:
1985 [fordsburg,
johannesburg, south africa under #apartheid ].
___________________________________________________________________________
§ THE WIND STILL SINGS SAD SONGS by FAROUK ASVAT
"Currently reading a book of
incredible poems by @faroukasvat
called ''The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs''.
The title poem brought me to tears."
● Léonicka, DynamicAfrica
● 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 *****
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!!!!! … very
impressive".
● Jill Townsend, Council of
Grandmothers, Ojai, CA, 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
__________________________________________________________________________
[] acknowledgements:
Majestic
Hairdressing Saloon was
previously published in:
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (piquant publications, p62, 2006);
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (kindle, 2014);
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (amazon paperback, p60, 2014).
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (amazon paperback, p60, 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.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
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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#novel #poetry #southafrica #apartheid #books #classics
#faroukasvat #weapons #of
#words #comparative #literature #literary #criticism
#the #wind #still #sings
#sad #songs #majestic
#hairdressing #saloon
● poems @ https://faroukasvat-poems.blogspot.com
● linkedin @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/farouk-asvat-52a6b642
● wikipedia @ https://en.everybodywiki.com/Farouk_Asvat
● all my books @ https://www.amazon.com/author/faroukasvat
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