Kraal Poems | Examples

Token Steps

Image of South Africa Cape Town Table provided by Pixabay

Token Steps 


Ruling winds the austral buttes naked slopes ...

                   as vortex smoky rise aloft Zulu's kraal
            Clans in circular indlu huts enclosing round
                   all women famous to craft their beads
           while getting set for tomorrows Reed Dance
                   a trait of Zulu armistice Nguni extends

Bestill, war drums eve chants Shaka's hopes ...


2021 May 29

Energy Vampires

Like a new baby into the world,
Like a new baby chick into an old kraal,
Sometimes I feel so exposed and vulnerable,
My energy is even at stake.

I am exposed to the energy vampires, 
They do suck away my energy all the time,
May be I am being too sensitive, but no!
It is only that they are inconsiderate.

Can I keep on running away from them?
Life is about interaction, will I do without them then?
I don’t know how to act when I am around them,
But I know that sometimes I need them and it hurts, 
Because, with them I feel powerless.

They do judge things at first value, prima facie,
Blind eyes they turn to the surrounding circumstances,
They are selfish and inconsiderate,
Demotivated, bad and inferior, that’s how I feel,
They are energy vampires and I hate them.

An African Rose-Love Poem

When I stood my face, to steal a glance
You stood your face, to steal a glance
When I caught the thief, catching a thief
You arrested me, I chained you

The sun had just dropped, I had not eaten
My mother's full pot, but yawns and yawning
Turning myself eye popped, my skin bed cold
Through the black dark, cockroaches looked afraid

As the sun showered her face, I washed mine
I went into the Kraal, took my Masai and Simba
No time to eat gruel, to the gold field to mine
Again I saw you, how to let you mine

As you climbed to fetch, I said ouch!
As acacia thorns bit your knee, I said ouch!
Ooh, my African Rose, you kill minus swords

The gap in your mouth grains, way for laughter
The river in your creamery coopers, full of mills
The hill that follows you, whenever you move
The fibers above your height, not human fossils

Moon's Fortune

I always think, big big and bigger
Less do I forget, asking why and why?
Of all that happen, not a moon bigger
Very little do care, why new no lie
Every mind target, the task ooh ******

Above and below, beside and besides
Flavored look the' pay , aside pain the' lay
I try hard somber lay, suicide but from murder
Cardinals and popes say, I say but foot shut
And then and wow, ululations no nuts
Never never to say, say after tis 

When the moon waxes, the new diminishes
Over and over the moons, my meat pulls
Every case say aaai, goons beat to sigh tools
Never never to say, after tis tat

To all that see, not brand here
Of all that happen, the moon is big
I no longer cry, I no longer feel
Listen I sing lullabies, I say Shhh!
I have a reason, to stay in the Kraal
My name changes, to Mama So,
Girl is So, Kraal balloons more

Merry Christmas To Family and Friends

To my friends and family

You are the ones who let me in
When I need an Inn
Even when I have to stay in a kraal
You will still make that call
On this day of joy and love
I wish you happiness
As described by the beatitudes
Happiness that blossoms in any weather
Outgrowing weeds lashed together
Another day will follow this day
I pray the spirit with stay this way
Merry Christmas

Plane Ride

PLANE    RIDE


I  would go back to the amber waving grain
I  long to fly to  America again
Oh yes it’s corny  I know
To say I love America but it is so
When I look around at the restriction 
And these old methods and ways of affliction
In my un-American surrounding
And feel the blood in my head pounding
With anger and held-temper
At the man paid to be my gatekeeper
And when I see the planes on their run
Daily  westbound  into the sun
And I know, as you do,
That  there is no one who 
Wouldn’t give his rice bowl wood and hard 
Or his party membership card
Or her position as third wife in the tent
Or her work in the kraal, lifelong spent,
To board that moving craft
As a drowner  grabs a life-raft


Watch her slip the bond unbound
She goes where freedom is found

Prima ballerina now she’ll dance
Gaily gaining speed she’ll start to prance
Leaping up the air will free her swift
Graceful strength not seen but felt in lift
Shimmering sheen of pure pearl
Far beyond sight, the freedom girl
Two wings full spread to soar in pride
Fast bound to America by knots untied.

Fire In Neighborhood

Fire in neighborhood
makes you no victim
rejoice, laugh, feast
if you are the bull
in the kraal, a ram
the rest cows, sheep
what makes you sad?
joyfully, scatter your lips
that was carelessness
of the neighbor

Deaf Bull

Deaf bull sired calves
calves grew and sired blind calves	

Blind calves grew and sired calves
they grew and sired dump calves

Dump calves and sired calves
they grew and sired foolish calves

Foolish calves grew and sired calves
they grew and sired kraal of calves

and the green valley was filled up
deaf, blind, dump, foolish bulls and cows

Fire In Neighborhood

Fire in neighborhood
makes you no victim
rejoice, laugh, feast
if you are the bull, ram
in the kraal fenced
the rest cows, sheep
what makes you sad?
joyfully, scatter your lips
take an extra bottle
that was carelessness
of the neighbor

Hyena

Hyena
tired and hungry
cried loudly near kraal
saw little hope for a meal
prayed

Human Cravings

“Are you aware of human cravings?”
bursts out my grandpa, lips shaking
“Cravings, cravings for everything humans do!
Drink all beers as fish in water 
Elope all queens as a bull in a kraal
Fight for; get all riches and be filthy rich
Give all titles, let them dangle as mangoes
Have all honey, bathe in as flies do
In the hand, give all powers of the land
Jeeps, all models pick and give
Knock out all rivals, get all medals
Lust, love, crave, crave day in day out
Material wealth, pleasure, power are emptiness
Nothing material satisfies human cravings
Open eyes, poke your nose, and erect your ears
People living on earth fight, struggle, kill
Quick they are to grab as cats grab rats
Reach their graves and you find nothing
Step in heaven, hell and you find nothing
Tour purgatory and you find nothing
Up in clouds search and you find nothing
Verily, verily cravings are spiritual
What is material can’t satisfy the spiritual
Xavier, listen; craving is empty project.”

Empty Calabash

Silence stormed the house
As he entered with empty calabash
With its mouth facing the ground
And he could tell from the faces
Unanswerable stream of questions
Of those gathered to scoop soup
Whoever washed his feet at dawn;
Cleaned the face with calabash water
To pay visit to the sage’s kraal
And came back with empty calabash
With hands dangling like bull’s tail
Closed ancestors’ toothless mouths
Yawning to drink imaginary milk

Luxury of Darkness

I am a refuge here!
In this foreign land-
Of luxury of darkness
Where darkness
Laughs at me
Angry winds,
Bite me like scorpions,
Mosquitoes,
Drink me like a pot of beer
Bed bugs, my nocturnal guests,
Hold conferences
To celebrate on my ribs 
Jiggers,
Rip my feet apart like cakes,
In the sage-master’s kraal
Philanthropists, my only hope
Offer mockery of aid
As they drink bottled urine,
Slumber in glass pots,
And make sheen- beings
To count stars endlessly!
Surely I am alone.
In my own country,
In this world,
I am alone, alone and alone
With no one to care
In this refugee-land!
Of luxury of darkness
Where all is,
Dark!
Dark!
And dark!

Polished Dust

Polished Dust

Ha- haa our community has reared a bull
As it moves from the kraal it charges
Against a tree, a rock, and anything
When the moon peeps it charges at it	

When the sun rises it sneezes at it 
When cloud swims above it raises dust
Wanting to jump and touch the sky
Giggling like a ghost when darkness knocks

You meet such bulls in grazing lands
Day in, day out busy charging at all
Sometimes with tongues poked out, 
Releasing hot dung in water they drink
 
Generations in and out the game continues
With futile action of polished dust
This land of humans with rationalism aside
Is rich in polished dust more than all

The Laughable Friend

The laughable friend

The farmer has a friend, laughable he is
The fat ram in his kraal, loyal and cool
Whenever the farmer wants soup
He sharpens knife and calls him

“Come, I want part of your fatty tail,
For a delicious soup tonight”
He comes, lays down his ribs,
And the farmer takes a portion

Laughing and smiling they go, next day
The farmer feeds him and caresses him
He asks not about the missing portion
He complains not about the pain

But he follows the friend everywhere
If the fatty knew the farmer’s mind,
That one day his neck will go forever
He would be wise and flee into exile

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