Wow, it is the middle of the month OCTOBER. I am attending tonight's booklaunch at the Centre for the Book - Nicholas Smalberg's first book, "Soul's Mission". Then tomorrow night it is the15th Poetry Africa Festival. I am looking forward to hear Gabeba Baderoon, Jaap Blonk from the Netherlands and also to hear how Sandile Dikeni sounds now.
This morning I discovered why I love words!
There are so many stories in my head. My father was a great storyteller. He had one friend "Mr Jansen" an ex-policeman who was injured in an attack by one or other community member. Mr Jansen suffered some brain damage but never lost his composure. He always walked upright and hardly spoke. He only replied to questions. My father and Mr Jansen enjoyed a "dop" (alcoholic beverage) together mostly in "silence" - that means my father did all the talking and Mr Jansen the listening! One day my father sent Mr Jansen to to buy a "dop". It seems as if my dad was really in the mood for talking and telling stories. He poured the drinks and went off on a word binge. After a while there was complete silence again. My father who was fed-up by now burst out, "Jansen! talk man, please talk even if you talk shit, but talk!" This story was relayed to me by my mother. The two of us always curled up with laughter discussing my father and his friends. Both my mother and father were great storytellers, they would have been excellent writers too - I am today the storyteller, the writer they should have been.
Wonderful weekend to all my friends and colleagues, fellow-writers and poets.
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