You voice your truth.
The truth is an offence but not a sin.
People choose their truths and cling onto them for their own sanity and their own survival.
People learn to sacrifice their leadership for subservience, their personal strength for support and strengthening others, their skills for a salary.
These are a compromise of self to serve a system that surrounds them.
Your father and your mother gave you their name for a specific reason.
You gave yourself another name for reasons of your own.
You gifted yourself with more names every decade from reasoning which you yourself own.
Solomon.
The letter “O” and the letter “S”.
The Symbolism in the circle.
The Shape of a snake.
The Sitting in the circle of sharing communal meals.
The Silence in the talking circle.
The Sharing discussion of things past and things to come.
The Serpent tongue of breaking silent opposition.
The Spear stabbing of domination of those that speak with forked tongue.
The “Oh” of exclamation to claim back what is yours.
The “S” of our location to give back to foreign nationals their support in struggle years.
The “O” of the wide-eyed silence as the mother cannot hold her tongue.
The “S” sounded discontentment meant for the authority’s of betrayal sent.
The “Oh my God” cries of disbelief, as her youngest son is shutdown in the street.
The “O” of organisation to step forward and stand strong.
The “S” of soldiers training to right all that is wrong.
The “O” of organic food gardens, the seeds in soil where we belong.
The “S” of no Surrender and the Struggle Continues on.
King Solomon’s mines.
Solomon had his slaves dig down deep searching beneath the layers of soil.
With difficulty through the hardness of rock.
With sweat to discover suffering.
The metal. The manifest. Of mercurial change.
The magical transition of the hidden.
To become the all seeing temple, glistening in the Sun.
You, Solomon, you delve into peoples psyche.
You, Nkwame, you dig into peoples fear.
You, Qaba, you disrupt daily routine with certain death.
When township folk step into the wilderness.
Their fear is the snake alone.
When suburban dwellers see the darkness.
It is the fear of the unknown.
When city citizens stare.
It is the fear of fear all on its own.
When you, Qaba, yourself dance with fear.
You are conqueror, and in wisdom you have grown.
You say know your history.
You suggest their daily toil can be different.
You state their state of mind should be discerning.
You state their country can be their land.
Concern from your mouth.
Steps people back in fear.
Confidence in your voice.
Draws people to the cause, to draw near.
Your commitment to community.
Friends, Comrades, Countrymen, lend me your ears.
The challenge of your stories.
Is their experience year after year.
The smile on pale faces is more guilty than they appear.
The charge of your claim that our constitution is a lie.
The desecration of our dedication to what was held so dear.
The commitment in your eyes.
It’s what each of us love to hear.
AUTHOR : Geoffrey Wright © 16 August 2024. Glenora Redemption, Cape Town, South Africa
DEDICATION:
This praise song is dedicated to one dedicated. To whom I am indebted. To those unknown who died that I may live. To those defeated daily, again that I may live. To those whose lives are unknown to me, whose pain I can never understand. No matter how I refuse to accept this truth, no matter what your name, you will always be my “brother from another mother” and this I appreciate, and this I comprehend.