Derek%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99s Monster

by

Frank Valentyn

He knows things growing by other names
such as the word "lawn" for Kikuyu
and "weed" for many of the vital herbs
sangomas would gather with due care
and his own tribal name which he does not mention
as tradition knows these unpronounceable
and avoidable in the protocol of gardening

"You know", he said while at the concrete washbasin
rivulets of summerwarm water streaking his dusty browns
"there’s a big problem:
I saw on TV yesterday, a boat
with the head of a lion and hair like a goat
and the body of a man, growling
and it made much nonsense -
it is all caused by this year two thousand"

"First," he said, his eyes still watering
and scrunched up in an infinite focus
"there was nineteenhundred
an’ now it’s going to change, everything
you can’t expect things to stay the same
when it comes, this two thousand"

I sensed it would be impolitic to disillusion
and denial of vital insight and opportunity
he knows perfectly defective things:
pulled up valued bushes once that he clearly recognised as weed
in his survival inventory
proudly too, their opposites:
defends the necessary artistic duration
and drip-wet repetitiousness of brush strokes
in painting garden walls homogeneously -
shook and nodded respectfully at his smiling worry
and his dry observation:
"This why two kay, she's got no answer"

'99

NEXT?
Why don't you look at King Canute c.995 -1035
by: Joyce Hemsley
from: Sunderland, England, UK

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