27 November 2012

BROTHER!

BROTHER! 
© Farouk Asvat


            'I know my job,
             An' you know your job.
             But you know what?
             I'm going to eff you up!
             You, together with your brother.'

"Who?
  Me?
  Me, I don't have a brother, me.
  My brother is dead.
  God is my brother.
  An' he is also dead."




© farouk asvat


english translation by farouk asvat: 2006 [Johannesburg, South Africa under new apartheid]
 
 
 
____________________________________________________________
[] WIETIE WHAT-WHAT



BROER! 
© Farouk Asvat


            'Ek ken my djob,
              En djy ken djou djob.
              Maa' wiet djy wat?
              Ek gaan djou opvok!
              Djy, saam met djou broer.'

"Wie?
  Ek?
  Ek het nie 'n broer, ek.
  My broer is sat.
  God is my broer.
  En hy is ook sat."




© farouk asvat


original composed: 1995 [Johannesburg, South Africa under new apartheid]




[] Acknowledgements:

Brother! / Broer! was previously published in:

                The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (piquant publications, p41, 2006);
                Bra Frooks …  (piquant publications, p31, 2006).



Bra Frooks is ...
                                []  nes 'n skollie
                                []  'n egte skollie
                                []  'n tsotsi
                                []  a real scamp
                                []  streetwise
                                []  the jokerman

Bra Frooks ...
                                []  praat soos 'n skollie
                                []  wietie soos 'n joster
                                []  wietie what-what
                                []  tunes like a durbanite
                                []  speaks like an englishman




© farouk asvat.  All rights reserved.

Farouk Asvat asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, or transmitted in any form or any means whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, including recording, printing, photocopying, or via any computerised means or media, including the internet.  This publication shall also not be stored in a retrieval system.  And the writing shall not be sold, lent, hired, resold or circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published,
without the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission to publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the author.
Reproduction of this work without permission, except for scholarly purposes,
is liable to a payment of 10, 000 ren men bi or US$ 1,500.

farouk asvat can be contacted at:                                           farouk.asvat@gmail.com



[] please check out my blogs @:

faroukasvat-poems.blogspot.com/

faroukasvat-viewpoint.blogspot.com/

faroukasvat-lingo.blogspot.com/

piquantpublications.blogspot.com/


[] also see my profiles on:




FAROUK ASVAT - Twitter [for the latest list of poems & essays published]


[] and see my new poems on:



20 November 2012

... HAUNTED BY HUNGER

POSSIBILITIES FOR A MAN HAUNTED BY HUNGER  
© Farouk Asvat  

There's one of two possibilities
Either you starve or you don't
If you don't it's okay
(You know how to survive)
But if you starve
There's one of two possibilities
Either you die or you don't
If you don't it's okay
(You know how to survive)
But if you die
There's one of two possibilities
Either you go to hell
Or you go to heaven
If you go to heaven it's okay
(You can have your own group area)
But if you go to hell
There's one of two possibilities
Either you become a boss boy
Or you stoke the whiteman's fire


© farouk asvat

composed: 1985 [Johannesburg, South Africa under apartheid].

[] Acknowledgements:

Possibilities For A Man Haunted By Hunger was previously published in:

     A Celebration Of Flames (donker, p18, 1987);
     Mogelijkheden voor iemand die wordt geplaagd door honger:
     O Nag, Kom Gou, Bly Weg!: ZuidAfrikanse poëzie
          Dutch translation by V F` (Kairos, Utrecht, Netherlands, p16, 1988);
     Mogelijkheden voor iemand die wordt geplaagd door honger:
          Dutch translation by V F` (Zuid, Utrecht, Netherlands, 1988);
     Mogelijkheden Voor Een Man Die Door De Honger Geplaagd Wordt:
          Dutch translation by Irene Scheltes (1989);
     Poetry 2000: an anthology of poems, ed T & F Oliver
          (Hodder & Stoughton, Johannesburg, p209, 1996);
     A Celebration Of Flames (piquant publications, p18, 2007);
     A Celebration Of Flames (kindle, 2014);
     A Celebration Of Flames (amazon paperback, p20, 2014).
___________________________________________________________________________

<> poem archive: 19 august 2014
<> lingo archive: 20 november 2012
___________________________________________________________________________
[§] Books by Farouk Asvat:

Sadness In The House Of Love (novel)
The Gathering Of The Storm (novel)
I Dream In Long Sentences (poetry)
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (poetry)
A Celebration Of Flames (poetry)
The Time Of Our Lives (poetry)
This Masquerade (short stories)
Bra Frooks … (poetry)*
The Paanies Are Coming (short stories)*
In The House Of Love (novel)*
Weapons Of Words (comparative literature & literary criticism)

¨ all my books are now available on amazon: in paperback & kindle
___________________________________________________________________________
[] please check out my blogs @:


[] please join me on:

___________________________________________________________________________
© farouk asvat.  All rights reserved.

Farouk Asvat asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, or transmitted in any form or any means whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, including recording, printing, photocopying, or via any computerised means or media, including the internet.  This publication shall also not be stored in a retrieval system.  And the writing shall not be sold, lent, hired, resold or circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published,
without the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission to publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the author.
Reproduction of this work without permission, except for scholarly & nonprofit purposes,
is liable to a payment of 10, 000 ren men bi or US$ 1,500.

farouk asvat can be contacted at: farouk.asvat@gmail.com
___________________________________________________________________________  
[] MOGELIJKHEDEN VOOR EEN MAN  
     DIE DOOR DE HONGER GEPLAAGD WORDT 

     Dutch translation by © Irene Scheltes

Eén van beide is mogelijk
Je lijdt wel of niet honger
Zo niet dan is het goed
(Je weet te overleven)
Maar als je honger lijdt
Is één van beide mogelijk
Je gaat wel of niet dood
Zo niet dan is het goed
(Je weet te overleven)
Maar als je doodgaat
Is één van beide mogelijk
Ofwel je gaat naar de hel
Of je gaat naar de hemel
Ga je naar de hemel dan is 't goed
(Je kunt je eigen woongebied hebben)
Maar als je naar de hel gaat
Is één van beide mogelijk
Ofwel je wordt bediende
Of je stookt het vuur van de blanke

     Dutch translation by kind permission of © Irene Scheltes

___________________________________________________________________________ 
[] MOGELIJKHEDEN VOOR IEMAND  
     DIE WORDT GEPLAAGD DOOR HONGER 

     Dutch translation © by vf?`

Het is van tweeën een
Of je verhongert, of je verhongert niet
Verhonger je niet, dan is het oké
(Je weet hoe je moet overleven)
Verhonger je
Dan is het van tweeën een
Je sterft of je sterft niet
Sterf je niet dan is het oké
(Je weet hoe je moet overleven)
Maar als je sterft
Is het van tweeën een
Je gaat naar de hel
Of je gaat naar de hemel
Ga je naar de hemel dan is het oké
(Je mag je eigen groepsgebied hebben)
Maar ga je naar de hel
Dan is het van tweeë een
Je wordt baasboy
Of je dient als brandstof voor het vuur van de blanke

     Dutch translation by kind permission

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness In The House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: in paperback @ $15 & kindle @ only $5
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

#love #literature #fiction #novel #poetry #southafrica #apartheid #books #classics
#faroukasvat #weapons #of #words #comparative #literature #literary #criticism
#a #celebration #of #flames #possibilities #for #a #man #haunted #by #hunger 
#bra #frooks #possibilities #for #a #man #haunted #by #hunger 




13 November 2012

HAPPY!ness

HAPPY!ness 
© Farouk Asvat



                        "Happy Christmas, Anna."

'Hêppy Xmas, Mêrram
 (and you too
  my sweet husband
  living in bachelors' quarters
  and hêppiness too
  my children
  staying with the mother
  of their mother
  on the farm)
 Anything else, Mastah?'




© farouk asvat


original composed: 1985 [Johannesburg, South Africa under apartheid]




[] G'LUK!

                 Dutch translation by © Irene Scheltes


            "Gelukkig Kerstfeest, Anna."

'G'lukkige Kerst, M'vrouw
(en jij ook
 m'n lieve man
 in de vrijgezellenwijk
 en g'luk ook voor jullie
 m'n kinderen
 die bij de moeder
 van hun moeder zijn)
 Nog iets anders, Meest'r?'




[] Acknowledgements:

Happy!ness /Hêppy!ness was previously published in:

                A Celebration Of Flames (donker, p19, 1987);
                My Drum: southern african poetry for young people
                                ed B Meyerowitz, J Copans, T Welch
                                (Hippogriff / Abecedarius, Johannesburg, p21, 1988);
                G'luk: Dutch translation by Irene Scheltes (1989);
                Broken Strings: the politics of poetry in south africa
                                ed S Finn, R Gray (Maskew Miller Longman, Cape Town, p132, 1992);
                A Celebration Of Flames (piquant publications, p19, 2007).


 
____________________________________________________________
[]WIETIE WHAT-WHAT

Bra Frooks is ...
                                []  nes 'n skollie
                                []  'n egte skollie
                                []  'n tsotsi
                                []  a real scamp
                                []  streetwise
                                []  the jokerman

Bra Frooks ...
                                []  praat soos 'n skollie
                                []  wietie soos 'n joster
                                []  wietie what-what
                                []  tunes like a durbanite
                                []  speaks like an englishman




© farouk asvat.  All rights reserved.

Farouk Asvat asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, or transmitted in any form or any means whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, including recording, printing, photocopying, or via any computerised means or media, including the internet.  This publication shall also not be stored in a retrieval system.  And the writing shall not be sold, lent, hired, resold or circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published,
without the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission to publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the author.
Reproduction of this work without permission, except for scholarly purposes,
is liable to a payment of 10, 000 ren men bi or US$ 1,500.

farouk asvat can be contacted at:                                                   farouk.asvat@ gmail.com


[] please check out my blogs @:

faroukasvat-poems.blogspot.com/

faroukasvat-viewpoint.blogspot.com/

faroukasvat-lingo.blogspot.com/

piquantpublications.blogspot.com


[] also see my profiles on:






[] and see my new poems on:



06 November 2012

FIETAS (reprise)

FIETAS ( reprise )  
© Farouk Asvat  

They kicked our lives out
And built expensive houses

But the Boers don't want to move in
They say the coolies bewitched the place

Because there's an Arab
In a white dress
Who walks every night
Through the houses

But we jus' know otherwise
It's only the ghost
Of Imaam Bananas


© farouk asvat

* original composed: 1985 [Johannesburg, South Africa under apartheid]
# english translation by farouk asvat: 2007 [Johannesburg, South Africa under new apartheid].

[] Acknowledgements:

Fietas (reprise) was previously published in:

     A Celebration Of Flames (donker, p15, 1987); *
     Sesame 7 (Renoster Books, Johannesburg, p3, Winter 1986); *
     Bra Frooks … (piquant publications, p21, 2006); *
     A Celebration Of Flames (piquant publications, p14, 2007); #
     www.faroukasvat-lingo.blogspot.com (06.11.2012); * #
     www.faroukasvat-poems.blogspot.com (12.05.2015); * #
     Bra Frooks … (kindle, 2014); *
     Bra Frooks …  (amazon paperback, p19, 2014); *
     A Celebration Of Flames (kindle, 2014); #
     A Celebration Of Flames (amazon paperback, p23, 2014). #
______________________________________________________________
[§] Books by Farouk Asvat:

Sadness In The House Of Love (novel)
The Gathering Of The Storm (novel)
I Dream In Long Sentences (poetry)
The Wind Still Sings Sad Songs (poetry)
A Celebration Of Flames (poetry)
The Time Of Our Lives (poetry)
Bra Frooks … (poetry)*
The Paanies Are Coming (short stories)*
In The House Of Love (novel)*
Weapons Of Words (comparative literature & literary criticism)

¨ all my books are now available on amazon: in paperback & kindle
______________________________________________________________
© farouk asvat.  All rights reserved.

Farouk Asvat asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, or transmitted in any form or any means whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, including recording, printing, photocopying, or via any computerised means or media, including the internet.  This publication shall also not be stored in a retrieval system.  And the writing shall not be sold, lent, hired, resold or circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published,
without the prior permission of the author in writing.
Permission to publish or reproduce the writings in any format can be obtained from the author.
Reproduction of this work without permission, except for scholarly & nonprofit purposes,
is liable to a payment of 10, 000 ren men bi or US$ 1,500.

farouk asvat can be contacted at: farouk.asvat@gmail.com

[] please check out my blogs @:





books by farouk asvat: www.faroukasvat-books.blogspot.com

[] also link up on:






amazon kindle author @ www.amazon.com/author/faroukasvat

_______________________________________________________  
[] WIETIE WHAT-WHAT:

FIETAS ( reprise ) 
© Farouk Asvat 

Hulle het ons lewe uitgeskop
En expensive huise gebou

Maa' die boere wil nie intrek
Hulle sê die koelies het die plek getoor

Wan' daa's 'n Arab
In a wit rok
Wat elke aan'
Deur die huise loop

Maa' ons ken mos anners
Dis net die spook
Van Imam Piesaingkie


© farouk asvat

Bra Frooks is ...
                    []  nes 'n skollie
                    []  'n egte skollie
                    []  'n tsotsi
                    []  a real scamp
                    []  streetwise
                    []  the jokerman

Bra Frooks ...
                    []  praat soos 'n skollie
                    []  wietie soos 'n joster
                    []  wietie what-what
                    []  tunes like a durbanite
                    []  speaks like an englishman

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
the NOVEL Sadness In The House Of Love by Farouk Asvat
is now available on amazon: in paperback @ $15 & kindle @ only $5
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

#love #literature #fiction #novel #poetry #southafrica #apartheid #books #classics
#faroukasvat #weapons of words #comparative literature #literary criticism
#a celebration of flames #fietas (reprise)