heartbroken traveller

Vonani Bila

lucky peterson's wizardry guitar comes into full steam
under the umbrella in flaming rainy antwerp
he strums, wails, laughs & sings blissfully
amidst the crowd his guitar massages my flesh
i long for lomcebo my swazi dream girl
he sings soulfully
i clap, dance with my head & shoulders

a sweating kind of gypsy drunk
hobbles towards me
she hugs & kisses my forehead
"i like your dreadlocks,
sexy boy, my bob marley",
the overjoyed drunk with missing teeth whispers
"how much do you want buddy?
100 euro? 150 euro?
c'mon, service me man!"
me? c'mon
i don't mix flesh with tired cows

i'm rocked by the rhythms
& blues of lucky peterson
but if the job of a black man in europe
is to play soccer & beat bongos
& get his spear-like part diving
& stabbing indiscriminately
just for a pizza
then i am catching the next boeing
straight to elim
for I'm a heartbroken traveller

LitNet: 21 March 2006

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