by the thread of my blood

photo taken by Simon Max Bannister at the Mary Fitzgerald Square, Newtown, Johannesburg

by the thread of my blood

I hang for my life

some say blood is a saviour

some say it is a river

some say it is a curse

some say it is too real

some say it is passion

some say it is a gift

some say it is the invitation to the dance

some say it is collective remembrance

some say it is the tide of our bodies

it smells like birth

it tastes like broken stone

it incites killing

it invites healing

it brings together like compassion

it commands life

it inspires love

and it demands nothing but flow,

this sacred river of life

mag ek...

die gedig van e.e. cummings may i feel said he het in my kop gespring toe my ouers 'n woordwisseling gehad het. hier is my vrye verwerking van die toneel (EN die cummings gedig):

kan jy 'n klim-raam vir

my grenadilla-plant maak sê sy

verseker sê hy

is jy seker? sê sy

o ja sê hy

jy is 'n skat sê sy

sê net hoe groot sê hy

so breed en so hoog sê sy

nou maar toe sê hy

dit lyk nie onmoontlik nie

haai dit maak my hart so bly sê sy

niemand anders kan dit doen soos jy

nee! wat maak jy nou? sê sy

ek pas die kalkulasies so bietjie aan sê hy

maar dis nie hoe ek dit wou he sê sy

hou jou bek sê hy

my grenadilla gaan skeef groei sê sy

moenie so stres sê hy

ek gaan iemand anders se hulp kry sê sy

jy waag dit nie sê hy

nou dan doen wat ek sê sê sy

gaan vlieg in jou moer sê hy

ek gaan jou nooit weer vra sê sy

nou maar toe, ek loop nou maar sê hy

ag nee, kom terug sê sy

maar dan los my uit sê hy

onthou so hoog en so breed sê sy

ek gaan die grenadilla se nek omdraai sê hy

try dit net, en ek draai JOU nek om sê sy

die oorspronklike gedig van e.e. cummings:

may i feel said he

may i feel said he
(i'll squeal said she
just once said he)
it's fun said she

(may i touch said he
how much said she
a lot said he)
why not said she

(let's go said he
not too far said she
what's too far said he
where you are said she)

may i stay said he
(which way said she
like this said he
if you kiss said she

may i move said he
is it love said she)
if you're willing said he
(but you're killing said she

but it's life said he
but your wife said she
now said he)
ow said she

(tiptop said he
don't stop said she
oh no said he)
go slow said she

(cccome? said he
ummm said she)
you're divine! said he
(you are Mine said she)

FIRE

(photo editing by Simon Max Bannister)

This is the second part of the Sculpture/Performance poetry piece I conceived and performed earlier this year in Johannesburg with sculptor Coenie Strydom, Life Vitrified / Klei Verewig. I later performed an adapted version of the work at the AfrikaBurn festival in the Tankwa Karoo.

It was performed and originally written in Afrikaans - a much more fiery language than English! Here follows the English translation. The Afrikaans follows thereafter.

II FIRE     

my clay body is devoured by a tornado of flame

i am called to this new burning clan

at the point where i want to melt and dissolve

a mighty flame of vitrification shoots through my veins

and i know, i can withstand the searing pain

with this body that have stood by me through

the flaming years

ah, the excitement that i will soon be stepping outside fire

so that i can pour meaning into the world

with this fired skin

the fire will burn and scorch me, torment and purge me

it will even attempt to extinguish me

yes, the flames will hit me, chew me and try to swallow me alive

it will pull the last tears from my eyes

stand strong!

let the flames come, let it bend and buckle me

let it make me scream

soon it will let my soul glow from within

and let my skin glow from without

the heat waves will keep on growing,

but i will resist, i will fight

have faith in my strength, in my hardiness

like a piece of leather the flame will twist and turn me

so that the flaming power can be lead through

and completely free my cellular potential

have you ever seen, have you ever felt  -

flame can not hold

flame can not cling

it glides flightily, mercurially over skin

even carries the face of a creature from hell

yes, he can burn, but he can not imprison

he can never estrange me from this wonder-earth

burn i will in its flaming path

but free i will stand, free!

so i have learnt to lap up fire with my own tongue

to chew and swallow it so as to ignite my own fire from within

look, the flutter flickering of flame looks just like

the flutter of tongue

sounds just like the flicker of tongue

at home is tongue in flame

it plays along in this burning game

the flame lashes around my limbs

wants to break my skeleton from its seams

i become like wood that fire greedily gorges

so that you there in the far dark corners will know:

this is one smoking and glistening struggle

that will soon spit my body out into pure sculpture

II VUUR

my klei-lyf word verswelg deur ‘n tornado van vlam
word ek geroep tot hierdie nuwe brandende stam
op die punt waar ek wil smelt en verteer
skiet ‘n magtige vlam van gehardheid deur my  are

en weet ek, ek kan die skroeiende pyn ontbeer
met hierdie lyf wat getrou saam met my staan deur

die vlammende jare

ah, die opwinding dat ek binnekort buite vuur gaan trap
en betekenis met hierdie aangevuurde kliplaag in my

wêreld gaan tap

die vuur sal my brand, sal my skroei, folter en naai
dit sal selfs poog om my nek om te draai
ja, die vlamme sal my kap, kou en

lewend insluk
die laaste trane uit my oë pluk

hou uit! staan vas!
kom wat wou, laat hy my loei
laat hy my skroei
binnekort sal hy my gees van binne
en my vel van buite rooiwarm laat gloei
die hittegolwe sal bly groei,

maar ek sal aanhou baklei en stoei
hê geloof in my standvastigheid, in my dikvelligheid
soos ‘n stuk leer sal vlam my brei
om die vlamme-krag deur te lei
en so my sellulêre potensiaal toet en taal te bevry

het jy al gesien, het jy al gevoel –
vlam kan nie vashou
vlam kan nie vasklou
hy glip, gly vlugtig, kwiksilwerig oor vel
dra selfs die aangesig van ‘n kreatuur uit hel
ja, hy kan brand, maar hy kan nie gevangene neem
sal my nooit van van hierdie wonder-aarde kan vervreem
brand sal ek in sy vlammende baan
maar vry sal ek bly staan

so het ek geleer om vuur met my eie tong op te lek
te kou en maag toe te sluk om so my eie Vuur op te wek
kyk, die fladder flonkering van vlam lyk nes

die fladder van tong
klink nes die flonker van tong
tuis is tong in vlam
dit hoort so graag aan hierdie brandende stam

met sweepslae krul die vuur om my ledemate
wil my skelet breek uit haar nate
word ek soos hout wat vuur gulsig vreet
dat julle daar in die doer donker vertes sal weet:
hierdie is een rokende en glinsterende gewroeg
wat my liggaam spoedig tot suiwer beeld gaan uitspoeg

Voices in Song

Voices in song

let the voices of the world

be fire in our souls

let the voices of the world

be water in our mouths

let it sing into the agelessness of time

and make us believe we are beauty

we are sun we are river

we are stone we are air

we are that which gives us life

let the voices of the world

teach us to feel

to burn

to flow

to be utterly alive

let our voices rise

like the flame rises

like the tide rises

we are life

we are elemental

we are voices that sing

that weep

we are voices that

come alive

as soon as

breath is born

the vast space begs to be filled

with that sweeping line of voice

that colours space with that wondrous harmony

that is so strongly at home in our soul

let the voices vibrate

let the voices cascade through our souls

and let us live livelier than ever before

let the voices break through the forests

break through the ocean

let fish and bird hear we can

resonate with song just as they can do

i want to be there where the soul sings

because of this life’s blessedness

let us give love through our voices

let us share this voice we have had from birth

silence is blessed

yet singing is more so

it is a resonating of the soul

a baptizing within that vibration that gives life

to our hearts and minds

the voice moves like flame

searching for air and when it is released

it gushes forth like a new spring

the voice of fire

the voice of river

let it not be silenced

let it sound

let it burn

let it flow

we can sing

we want to sing

we need to sing

if we raise our voices, let it be in song