I like you

I don’t like you
Because
You are White
I like you for
Celebrating kindness
A loving nature
Free spirited
True believer
Enabling liberator
Soul protector
Living
Vector

I don’t like you
Because
You are of mixed descent or so-called coloured
I like you for
Sharing loyalty
Unrelenting tenacity
Support never-ending
Challenger unbending
Soul mirror
Opinionated
Reverberator

I don’t like you
Because
You are black
I like you for
Positive energy
Challenging my thinking
Questioning instincts
Collectivist tinkering
Bouncing negativity
Capturing true inner voices
Respectfully

I don’t like you
Because
You are Asian
I like you for
Love radiating
Mind challenges concentrating
Laughter celebrating
Earth principles protecting
‘Being the change’
Philosophically pulsating
Living
Congruently

Under Apartheid racial classification casted South Africans into these four categories or racial groupings, White, So-called Coloured, Black and Asian. for me there is the HUMAN RACE and I was lucky to learn very early in life that the statute books and society does not have to decide how I like or dislike people. Being rude, lazy or disrespectful are some of the things that can motivate liking or disliking. The piece was inspired by a discussion with a true friend and mentor in the context of moving on from the mental trappings of racist societies. This one is for Dawn, Patricia, Khanysani, Meghan and Siyamthanda. A celebration of all the BORN FREE’s -- you don’t have to nurture the ideological trappings of society. I love you. Quoting Mahatma Ghandi 'Being the change you want to see'.

Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 2011-08-25.

Insignificance Accepted

If we had to live our lives
The size of a postage stamp
Will there be
An expectation to achieve less
Will we feel
More blessed with fewer possessions
Bitter life lessons

If we had to live our lives
Like a slice of bread
Will there be
Enough to quench an immediate hunger
Will we feel
Satisfied with it dry
Or continuously of hunger cry

If we had to live our lives
With one change of clothes
Will there be
An expectation to keep it clean
Will we feel
Well attired
At every occasion high powered

If we had to live our lives
In the shoes of another soul free
Will there be
An expectation to do all the sad jobs
Will we feel
We have achieved
Earning but a pittance for good deeds

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 2011-08-24

Motherhood

I wish we could have the gift
Of special complete recall
Every laugh
Bright remark
Silly game we played
Overriding all the conflicting times
Growing children
The best to celebrate
In moments and memories exceptional
Our lives
A special bond
Sheltered

Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 2011-08-23

Be proud

Be proud
Beautiful daughter
Talent nurtured
Outspoken
More lessons to learn
New ideas explored
Life waiting
Taking care
Development holistic
Dreams realistic
Choosing paths
Less fatalistic
Coming-of-age
Just a small step
A critical stage
Obliterating rage
Nurturing self-worth
Every day’s worth living

For Dawn, Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 20111-08-23.

Sisters Knitting

At around five
My big sister decided
I needed to learn how to read
Crochet and knitting
Became part of the deal
Over the years
A love of books grew
Little needles hooked
Caps green and gold
Primary school of old
Jumble jerseys in the mix
Endless pairs of fuzzy sox
Provided well needed therapy
An escape from going crazy
Paying forward free

Now around forty-five
My baby-sister
Plays with me
In virtual reality
We have a knitting bee
Surfing patterns on the net
Casting on and off
Ripping up small mistakes
This humble endowment
Keeps on giving
Charity bin needles pointy
Cotton tangles can any project
To useless items wrangle
Creative creations
A collective dare
Valued
This gift from sister Care

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 2011-08-22

Small Mercies

Crispy cucumbers
Fresh tomatoes
Spinach
Picked in the rain
Apples
Sour-sweet
Fragrant herbs
Late blooms
Summer’s gifts
Cherished

Welcome rainstorms
Seed banks fed
Squirrels
Collecting every morsel
They can get
The pond to a birdbath transformed
A season’s end
Quietly savoured

Sunlight dances through thunderclouds
Bright stars hiding in the dark
Daylight valued more than gold
Change lines
Swollen hands
Minor reminders
Happiness captured
More than passing fazes
Tumbling in the grass
Skipping in the dust
Memories of the fun that once was
Constantly celebrated

Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 2011-08-21

Full circle

Three seconds
Three minutes
Three months
All she had
A precious gift
To her family
Taken away
Before
She could grow old
A perfect impression
Will last forever
I never knew her name
My sympathy
With her mother remains

Twenty-one seconds
Twenty and one minutes
Twenty-one months
Almost
Twenty-one years
We shared his existence
A precious gift
To a wide family
Taken away
Before
Maturing wisdom teeth
Growing old bones
Bright impressions
Will last forever
I never knew his final dreams
My sympathy
With the family remains

Full circle
Lives long and short
Gravestone
Evidence
Quite ironic
Believers or not
Lifecycles
Travelled
Alone
In crowds
Empty Hospital corridors
Dawn beach walks
Behind cascading mountain waterfalls
Inside
Burgeoning wild summer bulbs
Orchids tender
We all someday have to
Surrender

By Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 2011-08-20. For Lynn Jardine and her family in the memory of her late baby daughter who died and three months and the Family Noemdoe in the memory of Augustine Noemdoe who lived until one hour before his 21st birthday.

Strength

We count our strength
In numbers
Standing up
Collectively
Overcoming
Grief
Pain
Connected
In family
No shame

We count our wealth
In silver coins
Saved
Nest eggs
Secret buffers
Against suffering
In numbers collated
Life loss
Can never be
Compensated

We count our hurting
In sad events
Bad choices
Lonely
Repentant
Forgiveness
A gift
Resplendent
Score
Not nurtured by numbness
Solidarity offers
Communal strength
Incumbent

Simone Beatrice Naik Noemdoe, 2011-08-19