Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Chris Magadza

This Land

This Land

This Land

This land . . .
This tired
Old young land;
The youngest of
Africa’s daughters;
Once the beacon of
Her future, now
Grown weary and old
At puberty:
Her breasts;
Once promising
To nurture a nation to fullness
Now parched,
Having given no milk.
This stillborn nation . . .
The aberration
Led by ancient ghosts
That see not the darkness,
But the darkness sees them;
Slowly creaking
To appointed death.
Close

This Land

This land . . .
This tired
Old young land;
The youngest of
Africa’s daughters;
Once the beacon of
Her future, now
Grown weary and old
At puberty:
Her breasts;
Once promising
To nurture a nation to fullness
Now parched,
Having given no milk.
This stillborn nation . . .
The aberration
Led by ancient ghosts
That see not the darkness,
But the darkness sees them;
Slowly creaking
To appointed death.

This Land

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Versopolis
J.E. Jurriaanse
Gefinancierd door de Europese Unie
Elise Mathilde Fonds
Stichting Verzameling van Wijngaarden-Boot
Veerhuis
VDM
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère