Feed
-
Book Chat » The Toady and the Dodderer
The Toady and the Dodderer
-
Ndaba
Memberevery day he plays some hackneyed
music of honey
and heaven
on earth
on this dear African continent
on this stage of penury(he hardly says!)
reeling
and whimpering
under the antics and venom of an
incorrigible doddery circus prodigyhe plays a note of subservience
the dodderer
dances at full stretch
on the floor of glamour and opulence
the toady exalts and extols
rendering himself soulless
and worthless
in the ravenous eyes of the lot
stuck in a tailless food cavalcadethey have had their fill of his sycophantic
musical performances
they would rather listen to the squeamish
rumblings of their squashed stomachswhat he calls music is out of place
it cannot grow on the their conscience
the toady is stodgy in the glare of truism
his cunning voice has paled on the stoical
souls with sublime indifferencewhat consummate skill and scheming
and stature can squash the unflinching
glare of hunger and danger and anger?he plays his music that has degenerated
into noise
and nausea
the exalted dodderer exhibits
a wiggling affectation and fixation with hogging
the entire dance floor for himself
arousing a great deal of ire and uproar
drunk with soaking it out to infinity
the dodderer has inaugurated the dance
floor into a no-go areain a very subtle fashion
the toady eggs him on
the cause celebre being-
his outdoing of other dancers
by hook and crook
he was destined to dance ad
infinitum
or so claims the praise-singing pawn!everyone from all strata of society
sees the damage and decay
on the dance floor
there is a timepiece on the wall
but the singing maestro
papers over the cracks of brutality
he marvels at such amazing strength
the tottering dance icon wields
the other dancers are visibly dispersing
in a disconcerted veinPosted: 12 months # -
Ndaba
MemberFrom Wikipedia:Praise is typically, but not exclusively, earned relative to achievement and accomplishment. Praise is often contrasted with criticism, where the latter is held to mean exclusively negative statements made about something, although this is not technically correct.l am still groping for their achievements/accomplishments in their chosen `careers` before l can come up with a praise-song!
Posted: 12 months # -
Gugrajah
MemberThe situation might actually be in reverse, meaning, the many tyrants that are taking advantage of an "ageing" man. There are many factors at play here, i feel we are over-simplifying things here.
1. What is the "tyrant" to do now after realising that whatever that got him into power ,i.e his constituency that voted him ynder the pre-text that he was going to restore and redistribute land - he can't deliver? I'm obviously referring to land here but the land doesn't belong to Zimbabwe now, as countries do not have sovereignty to the space they occupy. What is King without territory? Private property rights violate the African conception of space. Our space has always been held in custody by our elders/indunas/ etc etc.
The Lancaster agreement violates the necessary transformation that is needed for any serious restoration and redistribution of resources that belong to the people. 21 years (from 1980 - 2001) of a double standard game played against the people of Zimbabwe necessitates a war. These negotiations (Lancaster agreement & the SA constitution) that are pre-agreed upon are a concoction of a civil war.
The last statement brings me to another important issue in SA. guess what? it is still Lnad even in here. The similarities between Zimbabwe and SA are unavoidable. I agree with our liberal media: SA is heading straight for another Zim.
Posted: 12 months # -
Rustum Kozain
MemberEr, Gugrajah, it is a poem. Try addressing the poem first; or do you lie in wait for any opportunity to raise a particular political point.
Also, your eloquence with regards to politics in Zimbabwe belies your apparent lack of understanding of the poem.
Posted: 12 months # -
Gugrajah
MemberI hear you but i obviously lack understanding. What exactly do you mean by "try addressing the poem"? Are you of the opinion that the poet is blisfullfy ignorant of the situation in his country and is writing for the sake of entertainment i.e. to entertain you?
Then the point behind poetry has been majorly misunderstood.
And again poetry critic - what is it that i ought to understand in the poem? i.e. what do you understand?
Thank you have a pleasant evening.
Posted: 12 months # -
Rustum Kozain
MemberI mean, consider the political situation in the poem; consider the information in the poem. It could be about Zimbabwe, it could be about another country. At some point one can get to a more critical view of the excesses of colonialism, its effects on present Zimbabwe, etc. from the poem, but you have not given the poem some attention first.
You say you don't understand the poem, someone gives an interpretation of the poem, you then make a point about land and politics in Zimbabwe, a point expressed in such a way that it is difficult to believe that you really don't understand the poem. It's words on a page, and you seem able to understand words on a page.
The poem is a comment on society, perhaps on Zimbabwe. Is it a decent reflection of politics, with tyrants and yesmen? I would say so. But you make no attempt, instead inserting a quick political point (with which I am partly sympathetic). Thus I ask: do you just lie in wait for opportunities to repeat a political view?
So, eventually, it's not about my understanding of the poem (I didn't make some left-field comment that didn't relate directly to the poem); it's about you claiming you don't understand, then responding to an explanation with an unrelated post about land and politics.
Given that you claim so confidently that "the point behind poetry has been majorly misunderstood", I can't see how you have problems with understanding what's going on in the poem.
Posted: 12 months # -
Rustum Kozain
MemberOh, OK, I see, you know each other, so obviously an ongoing conversation?
Posted: 12 months # -
Ndaba
MemberThe point behind the poem has been majorly misunderstood by none other Gugrajah!! Unless if this debate is about a different poem, then land as an issue would`nt be extraneous. If Gugrajah wants a poem on land, then that`s a different issue. And if l were to pen it, l would advise other countries(and individuals like Gugrajah) to avoid some of the serious pitfalls along that route.For now, as Rustum, rightly observed, give the poem some attention (even if you could be itching for a debate on land reform etc!!)
Posted: 11 months # -
Rustum Kozain
MemberGugrajah, no worries; perhaps it is I who jumped on a horse too quickly.
Posted: 11 months #
Reply
You must log in to post.
Don't have an account? Register to comment - it's quick and free! (And privacy-protected: BOOK SA won't use your email address except to allow you access to BOOK Chat. In these days clouded o'er by spam, strong measures must be taken - so send us your address and we'll send you a password. Any questions to info@book.co.za.)
-
Feb
