www.poetrypotion.com issn: 2224-137X
EDITED BY ZAMANTUNGWA. PHOTOS & COVER ART BY ZAMANTUNGWA.
PUBLISHED BY ZAMANTUNGWA
Š all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrievable system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright owners, the poets and zamantungwa media cc all poets retain the rights to their own. any copying or sharing of this work for financial gain is infringement of copyright
contents 4 editorial 8 featured poem Manifesto* 11 poetry scene Comrade Babble 12 poetry 14 Dear poetry 15 Sonny The Lens Behind My Eye 16 Sihle Ntuli Scream 17 Roland Ndu Akpe sealing for silence 18 Diliza L Madikiza Invigorating Voices 19 Diliza L Madikiza Condemnity 20 Lazola Pambo Motivation 21 Lazola Pambo I am a slave 22 Morula wa Kutukgolo contributors 26 submission guidelines 28 the poets brewing the potion since 2007 30
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re-censored by zamantungwa This edition was conceived during the time of the Secrecy Bill furore. Little did i know that South Africa would be dealing with more issues around censorship, freedom of speech and media control soon. Things were clearer then, the government can not be allowed to interfere with press freedom, especially over personal grievances. By now you’ve heard all about the Spear, you’ve read all the arguments and counterarguments, you’ve probably weighed in yourself – groaned or celebrated when the Spear was smeared. You’ve probably also weighed in on the case against Zapiro or the one against Mdu Comics. Even in 2001 when SAB sued the t-shirt making company, Laugh It Off, you probably had an opinion then.
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I’m hoping that you’ve had time to think about your own rights to freedom of speech. That while weighing in on all these debates you have also asked yourself the tough questions. Why do you write? Should your work be free from responsibility? Is your freedom of expression enough? And that purpose you have, does it supersede the
needs, feelings lives of others? Kwame Dawes (previous edition, 2012.01) said something that will stay with me for ever – he said, “We’re not that special, poets are not that special. Because we’re poets, we’ve written enough about being poets to make everyone think we’re special. We’re not special.” What he said made me think about how we act like art and artists are above all other ‘ordinary’ humans. This kind of thing, I see it every time an artist does something irresponsible and then decides to hide behind the guise of freedom of expression or the special guise of being chosen by the gods to speak to truth... this is an ongoing exploration. Truly, South Africa is a young country. There’s so much that we should’ve achieved by now yet so much we can’t achieve in such a short time. The new leaders (can we still call them new?), wrangling with new found power, spend a little too much energy trying to control the state broadcaster, silence critical voices and the dissidents. But are we dissidents? Should all critical voices be silenced in the name of ... something. All I know is that the poet, the artist, must and will write. We don’t do what we do only to exercise a freedom or to cause controversy or just to gain fame. most of us are driven by something more... Something we battle to explain every day. Herein, are some of the battles with words...
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Manifesto*
by zamantungwa everything you have ever imagined already is. just pluck it out of the ether curl it up in your fist charge it up with good intent and throw it out to the world. with every fleeting thought your soul whispers to your future self that your true self already is. hidden between insecure and fear but all flinching isn’t fleeing so steady yourself. and when you listen to your inner voice and see with your inner eye you honour your past self. take care with every word you wield for every stroke carries a magic, a way into the hearts of many your authentic self is capable of brilliance. when you go below the surface. push yourself beyond mediocrity, you pay homage to those who came before you for even they knew fear but never flinched. with every triumph your true spirit shines
*featured in the soon to be published Black Letter Media Manifesto
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ComradeBabble This is one of those experiences that leave you wondering what it is that you just saw. I mean, this two-hander, starring David James and Lebogang Motaung, is so thickly woven that words have double meanings, gestures conceal intentions and every character has more than one face… Allan Kolski Horwitz, known by many of us as a poet and a publisher, wrote this play that imagines Kebble, aka Comrade Babble returning from the dead to “present the ‘truth’ of his life. It was directed by Alby Michaels and the initial run was at the Market Theatre Lab. The play begins with the killing of Babble and when he wakes up, he starts to set right what has been told about him. He tells us the ‘truth’, hoping that we’ll realise that he was just a good man. Through it all he’s interrupted, supported, jeered at by Butch Deratti, Mshini de Boom, Buti Bhunga, Professor Ndlovu and Wilhemina Randridge. All these characters are composites and interpretations of real people that Kebble knew supported and had dealings with. The fun part, is trying to recognise the real people in the characters. But the most intriguing part is trying to figure out the fiction-fiction from the fiction from the truth.
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Comrade Babble might not leave you knowing who Kebble was. It might leave you pitying him. Or perhaps leave you seeing him as a pathetic crook. Or the babble leaves you spinning in confusion. Either way, the performances by James and Motaung are wonderful. The script is witty and full of nuanced action. This play is something you need to see.
we’reonyoutube...
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Dear poetry
by Sonny
How do I get back to you again? You use to be my shoulder for expression. Friend to share happiness and sadness with. Where did we go wrong dear poetry? You use to eavesdrop me profoundly in myself confession sessions. Now am all by myself, thinking and wondering if things will ever be the same. My pen and paper are there while thoughts and emotions are gone. Where did I go wrong dear poetry? I use to love and orate about you Imperceptible Not because am fanatical but self-emotional friendship I developed within. Dear poetry forgive me for deserting my tenets Whiles am taking self-epic retrieval In my own path of self-evolution My affection for you will never go away Although impediments will remain defy in any given time
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The Lens Behind My Eye
by Sihle Ntuli
This lens behind my eye Aborting memory in its embryonic foetus I take it out on this date So this present moment does not become an unwanted future The gifts that are to be cursed in the future When we full stop at that end I used to see you off the lens Daydreams Left an ellipsis on the skull of my brain The sight of you fell in buckets of the colour blind As You hid behind the lens that’s behind my eye My body is on strike from striking a pose I struck that pose in protest , I knocked It out I don’t pose I prose I just call it living with no gimmicks Flash! shoot me now Damage my soul let everyone see me prose I found solace in my soul less so I prose Cold heart’s now i’m froze “So I’m Cool?” So I’m froze one of those Dull typo’s of the fingers grey Finger in my eye adjusting the lens behind my eye I rate my face in the mirror I degrade me, almost got to C I’m blind to the claims that I’m decency It’s above a fail so even though this pain may pass and maybe one day I will make that grade And be good enough for you For now the lens behind my eye stares back Two eye’s, So before I struck the pose Dull face has to utter the words “Cheese” As I got shot by the Lens behind my eye And down I go To lie In Immortality 16
Scream
by Rolands Ndu Akpe ‘SHUT THE FUCK UP!,’ They said, screamed. ‘But we want our heaven, here, on planet Earth Heaven never was for cowed cowards I was born screaming,’ I said, whispered.
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sealing for silence
by Diliza L Madikiza Sealing for silence The bones are rumbling inside dark chambers Residing in shelters you cannot see Itching to mouth off misdemeanours of the past But skeletons cannot be fleshed out to tell truths So dark cabinets must be tightly sealed And concealed by what law which has a license to seal?
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Invigorating Voices
by Diliza L. Madikiza Poets and philosophers Do not take the law into your own mouths If it injects a bitter taste in your tongue Spill it out and speak What law must choke your voices? Poets and philosophers Unfasten yourself from cages of ideas Unshackle all chains that mute voices Speak indefinitely Speak continuously
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Condemnity
by Lazola Pambo Tree branches are scattered, the green leaves are trampled Gone is the future- which we all have been seeking Our fruitful treasures have been lottery gambled Minds are not thinking, we are silent, not speaking This is the last phase, of our most tragic destruction Poets have spoken for long, not really being heard Eternal life being seen as another boggling assumption Humans never paying attention, to every single word Whispers of the strong wind, in the light of the day Railing for the scattering of ignorant minds Not pleading with anyone, nor paving the way Some tearful crack of bones, the crunch breaking of spines Trust never meant anything, to our livelihood Until our graves open up, Oh shall we die obscured
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Motivation
by Lazola Pambo Evil will never have power over Good No matter the sight, No matter the dark mood Cruelty will not triumph for very long All deeds perish which have no sweet tranquil song Right actions always get to see another glorious day Devil’s goons, can never pave the way Mankind have faith of thy Redeemer above All things divine are created by His own love Satan can never have the last say For heavy burdens, he shall dreadfully pay Angels heavenly, are guardians evermore true Demons forever lost, not having any clue A reason why, I truthfully say this Evil never created, any creation with bliss
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I am a slave
by Morula Wa Kutukgolo I am a slave for righteousness, I strive to remain right In my maker’s eyes. I am a slave For peace I press forward and pursue it. I am a slave for love Love overflowing & everlasting, I live for it and live in it. I am a slave for joy The joy of my master Is my strength. I am a slave A slave for goodness, Kindness and mercy. I’m a slave To a master Full of compassion & caring Full of forgiveness & loving, A master who does not call me a slave But a friend.
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Re-Censored
by Poeticus
Life is a drama, a play, and we all are but some characters, casts, acting the script to the denouement, our ‘doomsday’. Sometime I wonder, what it is we have to offer, but to be feed for the moths and maggots, catalyst to the rate of our decay. But for how long Shall nothingness remain the theme of our tale? How long Shall emptiness fill the pages of our story? When shall we on the spaceship of our own destiny set sail? When shall we hoist our flag o the summit of glory? O I weep, for we cannot achieve these feats, We can’t demystify these myths, Excerpt, if we with sagacious ingenuity And erudicious wits Re-censor our woeful amoral story, And meticulously re-write the annals of our own history. So I say: Re-censor the head, Change the avaricious thoughts. Re-censor the mind, Sell no more ourselves for short. Re-censor the heart, Give every feeling a value, a true worth. Re-censor the view, We paint no more the pictures of phobia and myopia.
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if art is only
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Sonny: Simplicity, determination and efficiency are my motives Sihle Ntuli is a 21 year old writer whose hometown is Durban, his work can be found on various online journals including Itch,Sang Bleu,Jiggered, Free Riddim & Poetry Potion Rolands Nduka Akpe from Lagos, Nigeria, describes himself as a Voyeur, apprentice expressor. @Bloody_Voyeur Diliza L Madikiza, lives in Johannesburg and writes for various South African literary journals. He holds a journalism degree from Rhodes University and a Masters degree in International Communication. He is currently working on a poetry collection. Lazola Pambo was born in South Africa, in the town of Umtata- located in the Eastern Cape. Has published 7 anthologies of poetry, gaining modest acclaim from well known local newspapers such as “ The Representative” and “The Daily Dispatch”. Titles of those published and well received anthologies are, “ Lyrical Poetry In Solitary Times (Book 1-4)”, “ Forevermore: An Allegoric Poem”, “ Gentle Giants ( Volume 1-2)”. Currently studying a BA in Languages & Literature at the University Of South Africa (UNISA). Hobbies are writing articles for newspapers, mountain climbing and listening to classical opera music. Morula wa Kutukgolo is South African. Poeticus is from Nigeria and he says “i just love writing.” 26
• www.poetrypotion.com has an open-ended call for submissions. • poetry is accepted in any language. • if you submit in any language other than English then please provide an english translation of the poem or submit a paragraph that explains what the poem is about. • since the person assessing the poem for publication may not understand the language the poem is submitted in, then poetrypotion.com reserves the right not to consider work that comes without a translation of an explanation paragraph. • poetrypotion.com does not edit poetry - so make sure that you submit your work in its final publishable draft. DO NOT SUBMIT FIRST DRAFTS. • poetrypotion.com accepts, poet profiles, essays, think/ opinion pieces and social commentary on various subjects. • poetrypotion.com reserves the right to edit articles for length, clarity and style. • submit your best work
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the poets brewing th Righteous the Common Man, Kabelo Mofokeng, Nyakale Mokgosi, Zwesh fi Kush, Allan Kolski Horwitz, Tshegofatso Monaisa, Yoliswa Mogale, zamantungwa, Rick Thomas, Liya Bona, Mandy Mitchell, Chisanga Kabinga, Torry Msimango, Felix Erasmus, Heletia Smit, Jaco vd Westhuizen, Khanyo Mjamba, Maikutlo, Morula wa Kutukgolo, Pamella Dlungwane, Sihle Ntuli, Yorric Watterott, Zhaunine Petersen, Dafa, Darshana Nagar, Masechaba Letsela, Neo Shameyaa Molefe, Genna Gardini, Sehlohlo Piet Rampai, Ephraim Zuva, Brendan Hepburn, XorPoodleKing, M Rantoa, Ayabulela Tutuse, Ephraim Zuva, Alexander Kane, Bongani Ngcobo,MrChristyle,Keletso Thobega, Fezekile Futhwa, Samuel Ndango, Bulumko Filadesto Jacobs-kaNyamezele, Fathima Dawood, Vanessa Cardui, Kgosietsile Dinthloane, Sabelo wa ka Methula, Jaco Jacobs, Esther van der Vyver, Rudene Watt, Mduduzi Benedict Gama, Kella Kills, Sihle Ntuli, Mduduzi Benedict Gama, Mapitsane Maila, Blou Leask, Jaco Jacobs, David wa Mahlaamela, Yoric Watterott, Khomotjo Manthata, Keileng Junior, Tracy 38
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he potion since 2007 Swain, Mapitsane Maila, Vuyokazi S Yonke, The Skeleton Coast, Siza Nkosi, Gert Hanekom, Guy Richie, Esther van der Vyver, Abigail George, Raymond Mupatapanja, Reitumetse Sefolo, Aboo Hansa, Ndumiso Sikhakhane, Sphe Artee, Nick Purdon, Soulful Flyer, Vic Mahlangu, Aloysius Gonzaga, Stella Ashworth, Kabelo Mashishi, Sekgokgo Tshesane, Siyanda Kwaza, Reitumetse Johnson, Aubrey Ngwenya, Thabo Jijana, Ntanjana Sisipho, Ndumiso Sikhakhane, Toni Stuart, Busisiwe Khanyile, Annique Le Roux, Samuel Azubuike Duru, Lethlogonolo Mashego, Carol Ronaldson, Lwazi Prolific, M Jay Mutle, Gavintonks, Miriam Dube, Elizabeth Wurz, Masingita Masiya, Sinovuyo Nkonki, Natural_Mystic, Danieluv, Monique Barnard, Similo Gobingca, Jazz Africa, Tosin, Rantoloko ‘The Truth’ Molokoane, Yoshira Marbel, Dinitah, Anthea de Bruyn, Juliejacqui, Yolanda Arroyo-Pizarro, angelluv, Tosin Otitoju, Kofi Baako Pe, Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali, Clinton de Wee, Kofi Baako Pe, elle, Verity Maud, Afrikavrou, Noni, Su, Jazz Africa get your name on this list... submit those poems!
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