TEBOHO PIETERSEN

  Don’t call me a poem   I have not earned that title  I did not study  I don’t have a degree  Don’t call me a poem  I’m not that fancy  I’ve lived a lifetime  Without the gown  Don’t call me a poem  I’m far too shy  I shake all over, I panic  I’m certainly no poet Don’t call me a poem  I have no structure  I’m far too simple  Don’t call me a poem  It’s far too lonely  Don’t call me a poem  I’m just like you  I have no style  Don’t call me a poem  I’m far too ugly  I can’t seem to be normal  Don’t call me a poem  I’m still too silly  Still too young  Don’t call me a poem  I have no credentials  I’ll surely let you down  Don’t call me a poem  I have no humour  I have no rhythm  Don’t call me a poem  It’s not a flattery  I’d far prefer you just read yourself 

All the things that you should have done, that you have not done Maybe this is why you are mourning your own death You have all these plans These majestic ideas  You have people to impress  They must still see you in your highest glory They must recognize your brilliance  This is why you mourn your untimely death  You’ve made promises which you obviously have not fulfilled  You have told the most elaborate tales You had everyone and yourself convinced  The awards, the accolades, the events, the ceremonies The praises, the name dropping, the celebrities  You had it all planned  This is why you mourn your untimely death  A life cut short  You are going to travel the world Go to the pyramids Meet the most admired leaders  You will post it on all the social platforms That what you have planned in your future That’s what keeps you going  So you are worried if life should be cut short Cause you haven’t done any of these things That y...

Can you make a nice poster of me while I am still alive  Can you drive me around when I am still alive  Shower me with living plants while I am still alive  Can you invite all our friends around and tell them what I mean to you while I stand there and listen  Can you prepare a speech, make it really meaningful, can you put on your best attire. Can you tell your friends, put me on your status, go on a marketing campaigning tell them all that I am still alive. Tell them I am fine and I am writing living in Durban enjoying great weather. Will you do that?  Will you ask them if they have heard that I am still alive? Remind them of me and how healthy I am, I still move, still play tennis, still go for long walks. I still make jokes and still serious. I’m still smart and silly.  Will you tell them now or you will wait for my funeral?   

The phones kept us in hallucinations  The schools kept us in hallucinations No one was spared  The boy was bright, illuminated  But he was controlled by his phone  He could have been  Would have been  But caught in the same trap, damnit  He’s caught in a queue to register 1st year varsity  He struggles to get his papers together  He landed on town planning after his late submissions  I asked him if he will be planning to build the town  The overcrowded cities  If he will be planning that in five years after he obtains his honors degree  He is interested in making money  Wants a profession that brings in the cash  Whatever that might be  He’s not interested in planning the city  As he gets in queue to collect his program - a daily planner  Waits in queue to participate in the scam  Can you imagine  Millions get in line  The many lights that are dimmed  The talent, the voices, the...