braam rises
to kiss
the unclothed skies
leaving park station
& joubert park
behind
yoruba collides with shona
in biccard street
& a smell of zol rules the air
rea vaya bus amper hits
the nyaope addict
in de korte street
car guards
trying
to catch the fattest worm
outside burning hair salons
bricklayers
hanging from skyscrapers
& alcohol advertisements
blessing giant
billboards
men in suv’s
poaching wits students
at kitchener’s
the underpaid blacks
consoling themselves
with double shots of hennessey
at bannister hotel
but at night
braam is caught
between hillbrow thighs
quenching sexual thirst
Zama Madinana
is a South African poet based in Johannesburg. His work has appeared in Stanzas, Botsotso, Carapace, Poetry Potion, The Thinker, Sunday World, New Coin and other literary publications. His work focuses mainly on love, politics and social issues. In 2021, he won the third prize of the Sol Plaatje EU Poetry Award. He is the author of a poetry chapbook, Water & Lights.
