MAAKOMELE R. MANAKA

Shi

For her

Badimo ba nkutlwile
Ngwatle wa Malebogo  
molema phatshimo
ka loleme

The gods have heard me
Ngwatle of Malebogo
the one who cultivates light
with their tongue

MmaSeema 
ke kopa o ntheetse 
nnete ke seretse 
botshelo ke semphekgo 
o se fele pelo 
fa botshelo 
bo gata ditoro
ke tsoga 
ke se na maatla
a mafoko 

MmaSeema
could you please listen to me
the truth is muddy/slippery
life is undeniable
so don’t be impatient
when life
stands on my dreams
and I wake up
without the strength
to speak

Moshibudi 
morata lerato
ntshepe 
ke tshipi ya thaba
molatela segametsi
legotlo la Barolong
moja Tlhapi 
le Mpofana
ke Tlhantlhagane
ya ga mme le rre

Moshibudi
lover of love
trust me
I am firm as a mountain
the carrier of water
a rodent of Barolong
one who shares a fish
with Mpofana
I am Tlantlhagane
of my mother and father

tshidisano
ga e bonolo
lelapa le a berekelwa
kutlwano ke lenyalo
la dinonyane
le legodimo
‘kgomo tsa me
ke ditiro 

living life with another
is not easy
building a home comes with hard-work
understanding is a marriage
between the birds
and the heavens
my wealth
is my life-work

‘rato la mafoko a Lowe
a re iteboge ka tlotlo
fa re nwa ditshego 
tsa bosigo 

lover of idioms past 
let us thank ourselves with respect  
when we drink intimate giggles  
in the night

mma go Botshelo
motshwara tladi molala

mother of Botshelo
the one who grabs lightning by the throat

badimo ba nkutlwile 
mafifi a maloba 
ga a sa ntwantsha

the gods have heard me
the darkness from before 
fights me no more

Moshibudi 
Ngwatle ya Themba 
o magetla
a lefatshe la me 

Moshibudi
Ngwatle of Themba
you are shoulders
holding up my world

Isandla se langa

The Hand of the Sun

unga shoni langa
amehlo ami akhathele
angisenawo amandla
wokuphuza indlala

sun do not set
my eyes are exhausted
I do not have the strength anymore
to drink the hunger

sekungathi inhlupheko
ukudla kwase khaya

it’s as if poverty
has become food at home

ngiqinise langa
impilo ayina zwelo

sun give me strength
there is no compassion in life

Mphakathi

– Take her out of the house
– mme o, wa loya
– akana nhliziyo
– khiphani lo mgorho
– re gathetse ke yena, go neng
– Yaa!
– just burn the house down
– e Sipho! kick her in the head
– u yenzeni lo mama?
– who do you think was responsible for Dijo’s death last week
– tshisa daar ding maan
– wooo! modimo wa maIsrael
– bring her out here Thami
– mercy batho bamodimo, mercy
– hau morena
– nxese, nxese
– that’s enough maAfrika, we cannot continue like this
– tsamaya o lo joetsa magoa matlakala ao, voetsek
– khabani le nja
– woo shem, na nka mo dira Sipho
– hahaha, how could you talk about that now maar le wena Nthabiseng
– just look at him, o fit maan
– hlehla, hlehla sisi
– maponisa a fetlhile mama
– I think it’s a good thing my boy
– tjho tjho tjhooo!
– eish, bo fadere are here now, le nna ne ke batla go latlhela sengwe nyana, mmereko o ntene
– no no no! ntate leponisa, leave those boys alone, ha se bona
– tyhini! kutheni polis maan? ufika apha ngokugeza, thixo
– dude, lets just go get some weed ko renkeng, I’ve got that new Redman joint
– bo gata ba na ba beda
– voetsek ngabo!
– maAfrika, maAfrika thewusang moya
– do that at your house, let’s get the weed, bra
– no no no, bantu benkosi nxese kodwa, asizwaneni labo baba benza u msebe…
– tsamaya o lo djoetsa president masepa ao
– Mama ke tshwere ke tlala
– ok nana, let’s go, there is nothing those police men can do now for that poor old lady, a re ye

Naledi

(Inspired by Caiphus Semenya’s Mmatswale)

Gompieno
ke apesitse pelo
ka le leme
go re o nkutlwe

Today
I have clothed my heart
in my tongue
for you to hear me

Naledi
go reng o sa mpone?

Naledi
how come you can’t hear me?

Mme matswale
U se ke oa mphuralla.

Wo! Mme matswale
U se ke oa mpherola.

Ke tlile ho oena le RaNaledi.
Ke tlisitse mathata a motse oa ka.

Mmameleng bo!
Naledi o ntlhanohetse.

Ha robale lapeng,
Iyho! O robala naheng.

Ke fositse ke nnete,
ka mmuisa ha bohloko.
Batho ba qabana,
ba boa ba tshwarelane.
Ke tlile ho oena le RaNaledi.
Ke tlisitse mathata a motse oa ka.

[Chorus] Iyoh, iyoh, iyoh, yoh!
Motse oa ka oa thubeha.

Mmamotse oa ka mohatsake.
Ke mo rata ka pelo ya ka kaofela.
Mme le Ntate nke le nthuseng hle!
Wo! Buang le Naledi oa ka.
(Buang le Naledi)
A ke le bueng le Naledi.
Thusang!
(Thusang)

Naledi moratuoa
U ntahletseng na
Bana ba rona o kare ke dikhutsanyana.
Naledi moratuoa,
U ntahletseng yo
Naledi Iyoh!
Iyoh! Iyoh! Naledi

Shi edited by Sabata Mpho Mokai
Isandla se langa edited by Sabelo Soko
Shi, Isandla se langa and Mphakathi first published in Oncoming Traffic Published by Botsotso in 2018. edited by Allan Horwitz
Naledi first published in Flowers of a Broken Smile (2016)