Artificial Constructs: The Kaffir Can Speak * They stared in amazement The subhuman “kaffir” open his mouth and spoke It was amazing He wasn’t human they said Pointing fingers and gasping They had spoken so long for the kaffir That they stopped believing that the kaffir could speak for himself Does he have a soul they wondered silently Kaffirs don’t have souls said the priest Nor do they have rights to property Or freedom If they can talk they can think said one rebel If they can think they are human If they are human they have every right like yours And mine How dare you said the pale faced women flabbergasted And flushed They are not quite human They…. They…. They… are Kaffirs The Kaffir looked at them And wondered at their ignorance We could speak when you were still feeding pigs And sleeping amongst them We were kings and Pharaohs We built pyramids Civilisations And libraries When you were but ignorant Unlettered And blind He opened his mouth and spoke of the wonders of his world The civilisations he knew and had The lives The loves The letters The words Liar they said indignantly Blasphemy said the high priests You are but kaffir And nothing more He looked at them with pity They know not what they do Came to mind As he was nailed to the cross of their ignorance And inhumanity They brought the man from the east Who was coolie To the land of the kaffir In chains On ships And called the coolie kaffir The man that was coolie was called kaffir By the pale faced kaffir who thought he wasn’t kaffir The coolie called kaffir was apart And later above The coolie called kaffir called the man called kaffir kaffir before the pale faced kaffir Who called the coolie kaffir though he himself was kaffir through his own barbarity and savagery The man called kaffir bowed his head in sorrow And lamented At how easily people lose their humanity in artificial constructs called race And class Forgetting their histories And commonalities He stood and spoke thus The Kaffir can speak said the pale faced kaffir He slew the man they called kaffir For speaking about their common humanity In a world where artificial labels meant everything and humanity nothing ______________________________________________________________ 2014©rassool jibraeel snyman “The Poetic Assassin”
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 09:10:13 +0000
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