Ndiy' iNkonde, and: The soil whispers
- Ndiy' iNkonde, and: The soil whispers
Ndiy' iNkonde
Ndimdala.I am an elder.Ndilithongo kwaba bizwa kukufa,A revelation to those chosen by divinity,ndiliphupha kwabalala bephila.a dream to those who are slumbering.Ndingowangaphambi kweli xesha.I am from before this time.Ndisis' thunywa soMoya,A messenger of the spirit,Ndibhodl' inkqubo yabaphantsi,I burp the ways of our forebears,ndisindisa kwingqumbo yeminyanya.To save the lost ones from the wrath of their ancestors.Ndikuk' ukhanya okugqobhoza ubumnyama,I am light piercing darkness,Ndikrazul' ishwangushwa, ndingumshologu,I tear misfortune, I am a diviner,Isifologu somzila ka Moya.a drudge of the spirit trail.Ndibalekwa ngama rhanuga.Dodged by those westernised.Ndiy' iNkonde.I am ancient.Ukuze undiqonde qhumisa impepho,For you to know me burn impepho,uthethe nabakowenu,speak to your ancestors,ukuba bakufulathela,and if they turned their backs on you,usile, ungxengxeze, bhebhethe okungendawo.brew traditional beer, pacify them, banish bad luck.Kudede ubumnyama kuvele ukukhanya ucamagushe.To rid darkness and reveal light, appease them. [End Page 34] Ndingu mhlaba, ndingamanzi, ndingu moya, ndingu mlilo.I am earth, I am water, I am wind, I am fire.Ndimdala.I am an elder.Ndisis' thunywa soMoya.A messenger of the spirit.Ndiy' iNkonde.I am ancient.
The soil whispers
It is 8 pm, I am rocking Lesedi (my daughter) to sleep.Something is whispering.The prophets who dwell in my spirit fed me the soil,To comprehend its language and meaning behind every word,And it whispers … the end is near.Before that time,I want my brown skin and soul to become scrolls of indigenous knowledge and wisdom,For my daughter to unravel me until my very last day on this earthAs I unearth the soil beneath her tongue,Resurrecting bones of ancient Azanians,Swallow them to grow a strong Azanian backbone.While we men and women are fighting in unfamiliar territories,The bogeyman seeks to behead the beast found in African indigenous children.We are (men and women) tamed, unnamed,No longer kings and queens who bathe in rivers.We are enemies with Narcissus,Our souls are nomads,Empty houses harbouring self-hating ghosts,Drunk with our own blood,We toast to our demise.Extinction is a dancing hurricane collecting every wondering spirit,Extinction is a dancing hurricane collecting every wondering indigenous spirit.
It is 8:15, I have stopped rocking,Lesedi is asleepAnd the soil still whispers … the end is near,The end is near. [End Page 36]
Mbongeni Nomkonwana is an actor, writer, poet, aspiring filmmaker, and stand-up comedian. He is co-founder, director, and resident poet of Lingua Franca Spoken Word Movement in Cape Town. He has served as a panelist and performer at the annual Open Book Festival Poetica Programme, and has been featured at festivals such as Joburg Arts Alive, Franschhoek Literary Festival, and Woordfees.
