Thursday 19 July 2012

All Cry the Silent Noble Boulders



All cry the silent noble boulders,
Cry for a people all gone mad.
Where peace and love should solely reign,
You watch fear and violence spread and stain.

You’ve watched as laws of the land are made,
In this stunning city by the sea.
These laws are their safety net and their protection,
Should their leaders ever fall to powers corruption.

Now, having borne witness to the marvel of evolution,
The slow steady rise of humanity with its potential,
You now watch them descending into anarchy;
Because greed and fear is stronger than empathy.
How can they not realise that destitution drives crime?

How can people not realise that taking a life cannot improve their own?
How can one man glory in his wealth while ignoring another's suffering?
How can leaders put profits before their people's well-being?

So, pray your thanks to the howling wind and rain,
Which scours your surface and lessens your majesty.
For the faster the elements erode your greatness,
The less of this abomination you'll have to witness.

Here in Africa our story is one of continued struggle.
Having won the struggle against hate and prejudice,
Can we not work together for the betterment of everybody?
Knowing that only if all are happy, only then can we be happy.


I began writing this poem in June 2010 and it is probably my favourite of all I've written so far, but not necessarily the best, a strange combination. As such it was a really tough process to put it up and I'm sure I'll come back and edit it at some stage. (as I've just done 31/05/12 haha)

It grew out of one line that was going around in my head, "All cry the silent noble boulders," which I got somewhere from way back. But it became more than that, it fed into my anger at the way my homeland South Africa seems to be going and my thinking around why.

As such the 'noble boulders' the poem speaks of are those on Table Mountain and the hills around Cape Town that look down on the "stunning city by the sea".

What are your thoughts about both the subject and the poem?

A great photo taken from the sea fort showing just how the 'silent noble boulders' look down on the city.


Comments from the first posting:
  1. I could feel your emotion and how important South Africa is to you. I'm not aware of the issues there, but you made me care.

  2. Thanks a lot for that comment Dana, it means a lot!

    South Africa is a beautiful, interesting country with wonderful people but it is facing a lot of issues.

    It would be great to get people thinking through poetry!

  3. I believe that is what poetry is all about... to get the mind of others rolling through our words!

8 comments:

  1. a very poignant piece. i almost hate to admit it took me to the second to last stanza to realize who was watching, but a soon as it hit...wow.

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  2. Some powerful imagery and important questions, I especially enjoyed your POV.

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  3. some strong questions there in the end...def you nailed this piece....how did i miss this earlier? i dunno....thank you sir for adding your voice to dverse...i look forward to the new year with you...

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  4. Thanks very much for the great comments, makes it all worth it!

    And Brian, hats off to you for getting dVerse going!

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  5. Because greed and fear is stronger than empathy...this is a sad truth all around the world..love how your heart shines through here

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  6. We've won no battles in the US. We just keep shoving the issues to the middle while everybody moves farther to the edge of the extremes. I like what you are saying here. As a poem, it could be tightened a little, but as a message it stands strong and resolute. You may not be quite finished with it yet, but I understand why it's your favorite and it pleases me enormously to read it!

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  7. I too am South African and the very same questions burn into my mind, harsh as an afternoon in the great Karoo. Watching the land and the people go to waste cuts deep, I witness this everyday. And all I can do is give a little, while our goverment gives billions to the world and the rest of us squander just to get by. Humanity is being eroded, one pebble at a time... Its scary to watch.

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