tata ukhona ?
 tata ukhona ?
 Ubuphila njengomntu olungileyo nesisa
 93 ans
 ngokunyaniseka kowakho abathandekayo kuwe
 93 ans
 yokulula ukuthobeka kokuthula nokuba
 93 ans
 ubukho emhlabeni wethu
 ukubonakaliswa kwenye indawo enkulu kakhulu kunathi
 93 ans
 kwaye ke akukho nto
 kwaye ke thina
 ukuba
 abantwana bakho abazukuzukuzukuzukuzukuzukuzukulwana bakho
 abenza i-microcosm kule ndalo inkulu
 ihlabathi elincinci
 ihlabathi lezinto ezikhoyo
 ihlabathi elisingise kwikamva .

 tata ukhona
 ici 
 ezintliziyweni zethu
 kwinkumbulo yexesha esilichithe kunye
 ngamaxesha amaninzi afika phezulu
 ukohlukana nokwadlulayo
 ekuphakameni kwamava okuthwala isiqhamo .

 xelela utata ukuba uphi ngoku ?
 Ndikhumbula elaa xesha wawusiya kusebenza ngebhayisekile yakho
 ukusuka eGrenelle ukuya kwindawo entle
 kwaye umama utheni
 ukuba sidibane nawe
 kwaye oko ngaphandle kokuthetha nawe
 naxa uzibambe iimvakalelo zakho
 nokuba bendibala ngeminwe
 izongezo kunye nokuthabatha
 nokuba bendizoba intliziyo
 kwinkungu yesikwere eRue Saint Charles
 Bendilinde wena .

 Tata awusenguye owehlabathi
 Uxolo malube kuni
 kule ndawo ingunaphakade .
 Kwaye kuya kubakho usuku
 apho nathi
 siya kunyamalala
 kwaye kuya kuthiwani
 ukuba besibakhulu
 ukuba besinentiyo
 kuba wonke umntu uyayazi indlela abantwana abenziwa ngayo
 kodwa siyayazi indlela ootata benziwa ngayo !
 Ukuba uphinde uqale ukulala kwakho
 entliziyweni yam igcwele ukukhanya
 Ndigcoba ngobubele nothando
 ngenxa yokunakana
 utata wam kum
 tata wethu kuthi abantwana bakho
 ukolula ngomjikelo olula ukuze uphile namhlanje
 imbopheleleko yokuqhubeka nomsebenzi wethu
 singoyiki ukuqhubela phambili kwindlela yethu .
 Kulungile
 Yenza kakuhle
 yenza okanye uqhawule
 singalicukucezi ihlabathi
 kubunzima bayo kunye nokubandezeleka kwayo
 kukwakho nezinto ezimangalisayo ezenzekayo apho
 kwaye bekuya kuba bubugwenxa ukuzijongela phantsi ezi zinto
 masinxibelelane
 siqinise amaqhina ethu
 sebenzisana vuyisana zukisa zukisa ubuhle
 ukuze kulo kwahlukana kwenu, Lucien, osisondezayo namhlanje
 ngokokude kuthi sonke kwimbandezelo yokufa
 hlala ekucamngceni
 hlala uthe cwaka
 hlala kulo mzuzu wokucamngca
 hlalani eluthandweni  .


 165 

  Amakhandlela amathathu amancinci
 kwaye yintoni ebuyayo
 ubungqina beeyure ezichithwe ngokuvisisana
 uchulumanco lobunzulu bendalo
 ubambe umoya ngaphambi kokuba ugqabhuke
 amandla okujonga emva kweglasi
 ubukho obufihlakeleyo bomntu ongunaphakade
 inkumbulo yeenkumbulo ezingapheliyo
 ukubhideka kwenkohliso
 ukuqaqamba kwenkanyezi enomsila akuzange kwenzeke
 ukubamba imbonakalo
 ukuzola kwezimbo zomzimba eziphindaphindiweyo
 uthando lweengoma ezindala zatshintshwa
 ngaphaya kweefom ezilindele ukuzaliseka kwazo
 ukugqithisela okumangalisayo kwexesha
 ukuzola phambi koku kushiya ukuya kwindawo evulekileyo
 inxeba lavakala lidibene neglasi eyophukileyo
 Ukutyibilika kweminwe kwisikhumba esitsha
 isithethe esenziwa zizinto ezaziwayo
 amava ahlaziywa rhoqo
 intlabathi elulwelo yokubhadula okuhamba-hambayo
 indawo exineneyo yamandla okuhlala
 ukoyiswa kwento ekukhanyeni ukubakho
 ukucaca kokuthululwa komsebenzi ogqityiweyo
 ukunyuka komkhusane phambi kwelanga
 ukunyuka kweengqondo ukuya entliziyweni yehlabathi
 ukusondelana kokuba kufakwe emthethweni
 ubungqina bobungqina obufikelelekayo kwigcisa
 ukufiphala kweziganeko kwinkungu ekhululayo
 ukubuyiselwa komhlaba wethu wangaphakathi
 umsebenzi omde nothobekileyo wokucoca
 imfazwe nxamnye nethunzi
 umntu olungileyo kwiimeko zakhe zokubuyisela
 ibala elitsha lobuso bethu liphinda libe nobulumko
 umculo kwi-asceticism ethintelweyo
 ubuhle kubabalo lokuba jikelele .

 Ukuphila ngokuzibuza ukuhlonela imfihlo
 ukukhumbula umkhondo wabantu
 ukuphefumla kwinyani ekuphela kwayo enexabiso
 umoya omhle wokuma
 indumiso yemihla ngemihla
 ingcamango yelitye elilula elinombala.


 164 

 Ewe wayenesibindi
 laa ndoda
 ukuhlala iminyaka emininzi ngobulumko
 ukulula nokuthozama
 ukuba aqhube isikhephe sakhe
 ecaleni kweebhanki zemihla ngemihla
 ngaphandle kokubuza ukuba makaye phi
 ngaphandle kokubona ixesha lihamba
 kancinane ukuqhubela phambili ukuya ngasechwebeni
 apho imida ityibilika
 apho yonke into iba ngwevu
 ukuba umbono ube mnyama
 ukungabikho komoya
 ukuba ingqondo ayisaphenduli
 kodwa iyaphi
 uloyiso kulindelo lwakhe
 imfihlelo
 oku kukhanya okungadalwanga
 oku kukhanya kunamandla kuvela phezulu kakhulu
 lo msantsa
 habitée de vieilles âmes
 esi skiff sibuthathaka
 enyamalala kwiinkungu
 le ndawo iphakamileyo
 ukudibanisa ne-horizon
 kwisikhumbuzo sento ezayo nehambayo
 indawo yokubamba umoya
 kwinkumbulo yento eyayikho
 umkhondo wegama lakho kwisiqu somthi esomileyo
 yabelwe
 ukuguqula lo mbhalo ukrakrayo
 ngokomsebenzi wesazela
 ukuhamba endleleni
 ukuqonda ukuba yintoni na
 i-crepe yenxeba elivuliwe kwakhona
 ukuphela kwehlobo
 njengoko ukukhangela kusilela
 kumaza aphantsi
 kulowo uhleli eluthandweni intliziyo yakhe.


 163 

 fumana ubomi
 njengesipho
 njengesipho.

 Hlala kuyo yonke iminyaka yobukho
 ebuntwaneni
 ulutsha
 ukuba mdala
 iminyaka emidala.

 Phucula njengewayini elungileyo
 Incinci kakhulu iwayini ineasidi
 ukukhula ngumsebenzi wexesha.

 Sukuzixakekisa ngebala lomzimba
 umkhondo wokuhamba kwexesha
 imibimbi ekrakra kuphela ukwanga ekuqhubekekeni kokuba
 Hlala ebomini kunye nobukrelekrele.

 Yonke imihla yenza izinto ezifunyenweyo
 imvakalelo echaphazela ingqondo
 Yonke imihla yiba kwintsha
 Vivre.

 Musa ukujonga ipleyiti yommelwane
 musa ukuba nomona
 hlala kuwe
 efestileni yezimanga.

 Khula kwakhona kwaye kwakhona.
 Ukwaluphala asikokwaluphala
 ukuguga kukuhamba ebomini
 ukuba mdala kukulahlekelwa yincasa yobomi.
 
Yiba nomdla ngokwasengqondweni
 jonga ubukho njengomntwana ngaphandle kokuba ngumntwana wanaphakade
 jonga ubukho ngokwembono yolutsha ngaphandle kolutsha lwanaphakade.

 Soloko usiya phambili.

 Xa siphila ixesha elide, siya sikhula ngakumbi lo mgama
 ekuvumela ukuba ube khona
 ngelixa sele ndikwenye indawo.

 Nge gulp enye bamba uthuli lwezinto
 phambi kokuba sicime isibane
 ukuze lufikelele unxweme
 ukunyibilika
 isithuba soncumo
 ngomoya ovuthuzayo
 ekukhanyeni kwemini ezayo .


 162