Poem by Sipho Ka Ngwenya

Siphiwe Ka Ngwenya

begging

begging has become a profession
unemployment our occupation
every soul wandering on city pavements
turning poverty into fiction
i always read words of pain
like graffiti scribbled on these sombre faces
& hidden smiles
sore lips & quivering bruised hands
who have learned the art
of lying without hurting
from those who speak diverse tongues
of the streets
of blistered hope & lynched dreams
i see them everywhere
for i am just a poet
trudging their gravel road

Siphiwe Ka Ngwenya is a writer & performer of poetry. He concentrates on traditional oral/praise/performance poetry with a view to making them more contemporary. He has been published in poetry magazines & anthologies, and works in various SA languages. He is a member of the Botsotso Jesters (poetry performance group) & the editorial board of Botsotso Magazine. Other work includes language translation. He lives in Soweto.