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| LitNet is ’n onafhanklike joernaal op die Internet, en word as gesamentlike onderneming deur Ligitprops 3042 BK en Media24 bedryf. |
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Anti-poetry poem
Mphutlane Wa Bofelo
When language becomes empty jargon
And talking a lot saying nothing becomes the norm
I shall choose silence the language of the seers
In these times of plenty flow and no word
The things I say in my quietness
Shall speak more sense than
These lovers of their own voices
Talking too much but saying not much
I think poetry has become howling
A litany of cover versions
Miscellaneous lines
Indexes and footnotes
Quotable quotes
Rhymed citations
References unacknowledged
Allegories out of place
Analogies misplaced
Over stretched metaphors
Exhausted dictums
Tired idioms
Paraphrased riddles
The twisting of tongues
The wringing of noses
The throwing of names
The calling of titles
The rattling of jargon
The flowing of clichés
The rambling of chants
The scramble for the spotlight
The jostling for the limelight
The rush to the podium
The rat race to the mic
The strides on stage
The swaggering off stage
The psychopathic adulation of the self
Narcissistic romance of one’s own ego
Words in the mouths of braggarts
Become swords to stab and jibe others
Their poetry is theatric exhibitionism
A medium of self-aggrandisement
And a podium for glory-seeking
Perhaps I must shut my mouth
For I’ve already joined the crowd
Simply by pointing fingers
Pontificating and adjudicating
When the word needs no judge
So the things I shall say in my quietness
Shall make more sense than these
Rambling and ranting and raving
Big mouths no words
Big words no actions.
LitNet: 23 August 2006
Click here to return
to Mphutlane Wa Bofelo's index page.
Did you enjoy this poem? Have your say! Send your comments to webvoet@litnet.co.za,
and become a part of our interactive opinion page. Or submit your own poetry
to Michelle McGrane for consideration.
back / to the top
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