Saturday 18 January 2020

*The seed who wanted to live on the soil of defencelessness

Artwork and photo by Kim Goodwin (Tankwa Artscape, Tankwa Karoo, 2019)

The seed is not dead

 the seed pushes its heart against the drought
 the smell of earth and growth  screams   screams Belonging
 in the ephemeral breath

 The seed pushes its heart against the mutilation
 in the race of the egos
 the smell of sprouting and radication screams   screams Belonging
 in the tunnels of the inextinguishable survival

 The seed is not dead
 not on the mountain nor by the sea
 not in the forest nor in the desert
 nor in the baptismal fire of the sun
 where it lies with cuts through its skin

 The seed is the silent voice in the cosmos
 waiting with rain wind and hail
 the seed is present at all deliberations and decisions
 the seed peers through the ground of secrets and in the hearts of children
 the seed that just wants to sprout in the sun of the Karoo is everywhere
 the seed grown into a tree radiates through the whole world
 the seed grown into a forest rises to the stars

 Without a leaf 

A re-interpretation of The Child by Ingrid Jonker

*Die saad wat wou leef op die grond van weerloosheid

Die saad is nie dood nie
die saad stoot sy kern teen die droogte
wat Behoort skreeu skreeu die geur van grond en groei
in die verganklike asem

Die saad stoot sy kern teen die verminking
in die jaagtog van die ego’s
wat Behoort skreeu skreeu die geur van ontkieming en vasworteling
in die tonnels van sy onblusbare oorlewing

Die saad is nie dood nie
nog by die berg nog by die see
nog in die woud nog in die woestyn
nog in die folteringsvuur van die son
waar hy lê met snye in sy vel

Die saad is die stille stem van die kosmos
op wag met reën wind en hael
die saad is teenwoordig by alle oorwegings en besluite
die saad loer deur die grond van geheime en in die harte van kinders
die saad wat net wou spruit in die son in die Karoo is orals
die saad wat ‘n boom geword het rank deur die wye wêreld
die saad wat ‘n woud geword het groei deur die hele sterrestelsel

Sonder ‘n blaar

* 'n her-interpretasie van Ingrid Jonker se Die Kind