This stretch of land
has known battles
long into the backlog of time
Battles for land, for freedom
Ndebele warriors flashing war chants
beating on their shields
Boers hiding in the crevices of the cliff
crawling, secretly in the night
Now, there are miners
battling for survival
standing on the rock
no rhythm,
driven out by force.
I drive with a young boy
and his South African flag school bag
he has an exam, taking his last-minute study notes
following, unexpected, a queue of police cars
desperation from them
and the miners who dig out the stones of the empire
bashing against them
"give us dignity"
“give .. us … dignified salary”.
The battle continues
the personal
the monetary monopoly game
and the only common denominator
is the land, unmoving, washed with new blood
and the blood
illuminated
in the red setting sun.