"the other side"

[BabyGrace]

SA
~~~
what knowledge do you impart
wipe clean the ivory sky
was it the flight or the fall
that screamed the reason why?

empty sugar cane fields
a crouching lion in the dark
there's not enough bread for all
tarnished brutality has left its mark

for sake or for friends
it's not her fault
a scar so deeply buried
brought vitality to a halt

hopscotch apart, bantam child
don't slip, don't think
sovereign separation
leaves love teetering on the brink

across the ocean's dungeon
the Queen spreads her wealth
dictator of all tribulations
she has no need for stealth

beat the fluttering dreams to the ground!
how dare they take flight?
to fly in the iron face
the thrall of Lady Tyranny's might?

lonesome chilliness descends
scrambled mugging beneath celestial sphere
spewing forth rapacious fufillment
but there's no one left to hear

dare I ask why the distinction?
the heartless twinkle in your eye?
it's an arduous task to climb the fence
things never were just black and white
~~~
so much for no poetry

this poem really belongs in Free YOur Mind but it's poetry so I put it here...
hope the content isn't offensive to anyone

It's about South Africa. My mum grew up there as a white South-African, which is not as easy as people made it out to be. As a little girl, she didn't realize things were wrong since little children believe what they see around them. Later when she was old enough to realize, she firmly agreed that the country's way of thinking was totally screwed up. But she was also kept from competing in the Olympics because of the whole political situation at the time. And I can honestly say my mother never mistreated anyone; she is a kind, fair, open-minded person.
I admire her for not being bitter about what went on, and I am very saddened and wish I knew what to do about the whole situation...look at the crime rates in that country.
I really hope this isn't offensive to anyone, I honestly mean that, because otherwise I will delete it. Just ask.
But I also think that there are two sides to every story and that not all white South African's were the cruel, heartless people they were made out to be.

------------------
Just the bang and the clatter
As an angel runs to ground...

 

[scatteroflight]

South Africa is a problem. Seems like everyone who can get out is getting out. Africa is becoming such a tragedy...

Can I ask what authors you like to read? Your use of language is great--"dictator of all tribulations..."

 

[zooropamanda]

WOW!!!!
Nikki, that was fabulous. Your poetry is getting better and better every time you post something.

Your Mum would be proud of this well written piece.

 

[The Wanderer]

beat the fluttering dreams to the ground!
how dare they take flight?

stunning...

I really think you are going to be famous for your poetry one day Nikki, as soon as a larger audience is exposed to your writing

I was just searching for this short story I read in one of my Literature courses at Rutgers... yeah, that's the University that is infamous for their Flyer-esque football program

anyway, it was a short story that I think you would be interested in reading, I'll find it in this maze of books I have here eventually...

but it's always essential that outsiders not be too judgmental, and that they try to understand the circumstances that dictated these situations; when you consider Nazi Germany for a moment, you have to remember the enormous pressure that people were under and realize that many people were forced to conform to the the constructs of society

and it's very easy to condemn people for not "doing more" but in reality there is very little that can be done by an individual, (look at our own country, look at the masses of homeless and the discrimination that still exists in many places), but it took enormous external, as well as internal pressure to end Apartheid; but what has really changed? now things are terrible for both sides

I saw a story on the news about how some white landowners in South Afrika who try to farm their land and have their crops and machinery destroyed by angry/ bitter blacks; now what purpose does that serve? destroy the economy and obliterate the food supply... not to mention prevent people from making a simple living, people that weren't the ones responsible for Apartheid in the first place

anyway, that's my rant about a topic that I'm not that knowledgeable about, I just know that most of the blame in South Afrika should be placed firmly on the shoulders of the economic and political hierarchy that strangled the countries people for decades

 

[foray]

I thought the overuse of big words made the poem seem a tad cumbersome. Thanks for sharing, though.

"it's an arduous task to climb the fence" -- I like that.

foray

------------------
"Please--tame me!" he said. "I want to, very much," the little prince replied. "But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand." "One only understands the things that one tames," said the fox.

 

[scatteroflight]

Hey BabyGrace,

I read such a huge number of books that sometimes, bizarrely, I have a hard time knowing what to recommend. A writer I really like right now is David Malouf, from Australia. His writing is very beautiful and poetic but not too poetic, if you know what I mean. Just right. I've only read a few of his books but a good one to start with would be Remembering Babylon. It's set in the nineteenth century and it's about what happens when a white man who spent half his childhood with Aboriginals tries to join a white community. It is a really excellent book.

 

[BabyGrace]

thank you all

foray, maybe you're right...sometimes I like to write with "big words" and sometimes I like to write with simpler language...which I know rouge prefers

it all depends on my mood...

Amanda, thank you
one day I'll work up the courage to share it with her

scatter...I (sadly) don't have much time to read...not outside of school anyway...
I'm really craving a good book now...suggestions welcome

Wanderer, I firmly agree with everything you said. It is impossible for one person to change an awful system that has been in place for so long. And even, like you said about Nazi Germany, if they dare to go against it. I often consider how I would have reacted in that situation. I would like to believe that I would have followed my heart and done what I believe but fear is an uncontrollable and powerful factor. Otherwise the whole Nazi terror never would have happened because I refuse to believe that so many people really agreed with what went on.

The problem my mom had with the whole thing was that it was really a no-win situation. She says that a lot of the blacks there were used to the system as it was and resisted the change, and yet how could something so blatantly wrong remain in place?
She also thought it was poorly dealt with and she, at the time, was angry at the US for stepping in and interfering. She felt that they hastened a process that should have occurred more slowly and that a massive "culture shock" is what has helped in large part to rip the country apart.

I'm really not knowlegeable about it either, I wasn't alive then and it was my mum's experience. She's shared some of it with me but most of it, she says, "belongs in another life."
It's too bad that a lot of the people living there can't just move on that way...

thank you also for your kind words

oh yeah, and I'll ignore the FLyers comment and I look froward to hearing what that story is...

[This message has been edited by BabyGrace (edited 03-13-2001).]