Poems from
Scenes & Visions
by Michael Cope

Poetry

Rain
GHAAP
Scenes & Visions
Some Examples of
       Silence
for the time being
Crossing the Desert
back view
Other Poems
Song Lyrics
A Virtual Anthology
YouTube Poems
Cautionary Verses


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Some early scenes

Born in a big white hospital...
then weaned to the sea and the vision
of the hotel-keeper's wet kelp of plaited hair
and her long perfection of neck.

They put on plays and sold leftist papers
talked about poetry talked about books
pictures and the future of workers and lovers
(the smell of cats and turpentine).

Then schooled in that small Transvaal town
the red earth playground with a shooting range
and the Boer War played out day by day
and Mr. van Rooyen and Mr. Kat and the Kaffer op sy plek.

So getting on the school bus they ask me
Rooinek is jy 'n NAT of 'n SAP?
How to say, to say looking down at my scabby knees,
the thin legs and scuffed small brown shoes:

"No, I'm not that, I'm a Socialist
like moms and daddy and the mountain leaning over
and the sea, the huge waves in my dreams."
And looking down my silence beats and beats on me

like a sunburned farmer's fist.