LITTLE CARDO

Cardo was born
but not expected
his mother was sixteen
and his father community builder of the year
his grandmother was a cashier
and his stepgrandfather drank to ease the pain

Cardo was a beautiful child
with dark skin and light eyes
beautiful enough to speak English
he liked playing drie stokkies
and vrottie eier in the street
Tietie Gawa from the mobile said
that Cardo was heaven sent

On the eve of Cardo’s first day
at big school
schoolboys were playing with crackers in the street
Cardo looked through the window
the bullet lodged in his throat
his mother did not cry
the politicians planted a sapling
the Cape Doctor uprooted it
and threw it where the rest
of Cape Town\'s dreams lay

on the Cape flats

KLEIN CARDO

KLEIN CARDO

Cardo was gebore
maar niemand het hom verwag nie
sy ma was sestien
en sy pa gemeenskapsbouer vannie jaar
sy ouma was ’n cashier
en sy stiefoupa het gedrink virrie pyn

Cardo was ’n mooi klong
met ’n donker vel en ligte oë
mooi genoeg om Engels te praat
hy’t gehou van drie stokkies
en vrottie eier innie pad speel
Tietie Gawa vannie mobile het gesê
Cardo was ’n engelkind

Die aand voor Cardo se eerste dag
op grootskool
het die schoolboys klappers innie pad geskiet
Cardo het by die venster uitgeloer
die koeël het in sy keel gaan sit
sy ma hettie gehuil nie
die politicians het ’n boompie geplant
en die Kaapse Dokter het hom uitgepluk
en gegooi waar die res
vannie Kaap se drome lê

oppie vlaktes