This way I salute you:
My hand pulses to my back trousers pocket
Or into my inner jacket pocket
For my pass, my life,
Jo’burg City.
My hand like a starved snake rears my pockets
For my thin, ever lean wallet,
While my stomach groans a friendly smile to
hunger,
Jo’burg City.
My stomach also devours coppers and papers
Don’t you know?
Jo’burg City, I salute you:
When I run out, or roar in a bus to you,
I leave behind me, my love,
My comic houses and people, my dongas and
my ever
Whirling dust,
My death
That’s so related to me as a wink to the eye.
Jo’burg City
I travel on your black and white and roboted
roads
Through your thick iron breath that you inhale
At six in the morning and exhale from five
noon.
Wild Card City is the best place for fun.
That is the time when I come to you,
When your neon flowers flaunt from your
electrical wind,
That is the time when I leave you,
When your neon flowers flaunt their way
through the
falling darkness
On your cement trees.
And as I go back, to my love,dddddddddddddd
My dongas, my dust, my people, my death,
Where death lurks in the dark like a blade in
the flesh,
I can feel your roots, anchoring your might,
my feebleness
In my flesh, in my mind, in my blood,
And everything about you says it,
That, that is all you need of me.
Jo’burg City, Johannesburg,
Listen when I tell you,
There is no fun, nothing, in it,
When you leave the women and men with such
frozen expressions,
Expressions that have tears like furrows of soil
erosion,
Jo’burg City, you are dry like death,
Jo’burg City, Johannesburg, Jo’burg City.
30 Responses
This is the first time I read this poem and actually comprehend every line. In High school I didn't care much for it.
The poem tells us about difficulties of hustling in Johannesburg. It expressed by man ended up decide to go home without gaining anything, he just remembered home sweet instead of hactic life was going through.
This poem, is about a young man who lived in poor, informal settlement just outside the Joburg city. He describe how he used to wake up early in the morning and go to work. as a black person he was not allowed to go to the City without his pass, that he describe how he quickly search for it in his trousers pocket or inner jacket pocket.
He used to leave early in the morning, and leave behind his loved ones and by comic house he means his informal houses, which are situated in dusty locations. he was poor as he said his wallet was thin, probably only had this pass. he used to leave the house on an empty stomach with no money.
I think this poem tells a story about a city with opportunities but also a city of danger for those from the rural area.
This poem talks a lot my question is that will jouburg city , Johannesburg listen and yes it has fallen in to darkness when is it gonna be light my jouburg city I salute you and u have changed a lot
What I really like about these coarses is that even if you really didn't get what the poet was trying to say the quiz will make everything clear.
Keep it up
The poet has to show something whenever he enters the city of Johannesburg.
What does he have to show?
This is a great analysis. I'm doing this poem for English first language. Can I please get help with a proper conclusions?
He is puting it in cool way but one can tell through his words that life is hard there. The hunger, fear and pain of leaving loved ones behind not knowing if he will come back to them .