BLACK:

Black, reputed to be an evil shade, but why?

Eyes of gypsy minstrel, steamy, dreamy & shy,

Black as brine-washed pebbles washed up upon the shore,

Ancient crow with ebony wing protecting ancient tower,

Sun ripe grapes hanging heavy, black upon the bower,

Gentle hands of nun, offering soothing grace,

Dressed in black sacking, gentle as christening lace,

Stallion, black as sin but faster than the winter breeze,

He moves man faster than the wind whipping stormy seas,

The night, so dark, so black, enchanting with her charms,

Wraps us up in starry mantle & holds us within her arms,

 And lest we forget that black is good, cradles us to her breast,

Without her blackness, our lives would never completely rest.

EARTH:

Dark rich soil, beneath which life begins,

Feeding existence through to birth,

Seed, mole, lowly worm,

Needs hot, moist clammy earth,

Brown, the colour of your brother´s skin,

Beneath, as white as you,

Hatred, resentment, cursing, why?

Both you & he will return one day,

To beneath earth´ brown rich clay,

Just as the seed, mole, & lowly worm.

THE SNAIL:

HIS LITTLE HEAD EMERGED FROM HIS DELICATE SPIRALLED SHELL,
HIS TINY DELICATE ANTENNAE FELT THE AIR AROUND HIM, SENSING,
HE LOOKED AT ME, HE KNEW & SO DID I, & HE WENT SLOWLY ON HIS
WAY.

SHARPEVILLE DICE:

Six sides to the dice,

Six people to the crime,

Six ropes to hang them,

Who shall be the winner?

The white man or the dice?

The black man or the dice?

Nobody will feel,

Nobody will know,

But six will be happier where they go.

THE TRAVELLER:

TO HER:

Isn´t it sad to see her waiting for the boat that never came?

So sad to see the lines of sacrifice within her smile,

While waiting, she turns to some secret place to weep,

The dawn dries her tears & the rain washes away her blame.

TO HIM:

Weary traveller, pack your pocket & carry on,

You see her sad smiling face as you wave to land,

Your mind turns as a windmill on the foam,

Each time you break her heart, you ask, “what have I done?”

HER:

It´s not the way you led me by the hand,

There was no talk of darkness,

No shadows cold & clear,

No cheap scented roses flung upon the sand.

HIM:

Woman, dreams are often broken, it´s true,

I hear your sigh carried to the moon on the wing of a dove,

I was tortured by your breath from across the sea,

For a night in eternity, you were me & I was you.

HER:

Man of the elements & earthly kingdom,

I wanted to be your body & soul, your perpetual shadow,

But even if for you, I swam a million oceans,

The only love you´d take from me would be freedom.