One last one

Incident. Some health nut was knocked over by a car when I turned the corner into Kloofnek. It seems the cyclist was belting down the hill at an amazing pace, and the inevitable happened. Some one turned into the road and its all history now. He survived, the cyclist I mean. He was writhing feebly on the road as I walked past. The faces were amazing, such still-lifes. At accidents its pointless looking at the centre of attraction, that is boring and all too real. Look at the different perspectives surrounding the mess, there you see it all.

Shock, obviously.

Relief, I often wonder why, is it because they don't know the person, or the person has survived, or it wasn't as bad as they hoped it was...?

Sadness, again obviously.

Glee, kids are just plain sick.

Anger, so futile in most cases and an inappropriate emotion. Accidents will happen, circumstance or our own stupidity, why get angry I wonder.

Stoicism, this one is the best. The know-it-alls, as if they have foreseen this exact thing. I got stopped by a shop owner wearing this one very well. He told me all about it, where he was when it happened, what he was doing and the time exactly. He even kindly pointed out the angry looking American customer who ran out of his shop to go see what was going on. He gave me a history of speeders down that stretch of road, and ejaculated an indignant "Something must be done about this!" I made all the right noises bid him goodbye after a decent amount of time and shuffled off home.

That cyclist just might ride again, people are built a lot tougher then we suspect that and fact that the medical people took only seven minutes to get to him.

I do go on at times especially when I can't decided what it is I should be doing. Hope it made your day shorter, that way I will know I did something positive today.

Another Life and Times hit...

Pic from Zapapedia (click! you will like this)

A bit of this n that

I went back to my treasure trove of old emails. I keep saying I have lived as my standard comment when I see the sort of words I share with peeps. Maricon! I love my life... what I have lived of it anyway; I wonder where its gona take us next... me, myself and I and everyone that knows us.

Here is a goodie... "I really do miss you, the slight of logic you used to pull on me in our conversations. OK maybe it was me missing the point intetionaly so I could listen to you talk some more... I could have been in love with the sight of your voice moving your lips over those words..."
Taken from 'World Famous Fitch' (Feb-20-03)

How about this one... "Don't you miss the hand writing of someone you know? I think of it as another side to someone I know... there is something exciting about words tumbling along a page, sometimes flowing, sometimes sprawling, but always moving. I was a great letter writer once, then people found out and demand became overwhelming... or I became lazy... I forget which."
Taken from 'This is Turkey' (Feb-20-03)

Ooooh... "Attention. There is one thing in life I am never too cheap to pay, and that is attention. I am generous with the quality. I lavish it for no reason on the most mundane or captivating of things and people. Oh I sometimes use it as a form of restraint on babies and like minded people. It works like a charm and costs me nothing."
Taken from the 'Space and Time" folder (Jul-15-04)

Filthy moment, only the best kind... "A bedside lamp between your legs, a frantic search for an elusive thread... stuff of legends. There must be more amusing anecdotes like this. Extraordinary things happening to ordinary people... if we bend it a little... extraordinary people happening to ordinary things. I like that better."
Taken from the 'Space and Time" folder (Jul-15-04)

Thankfully there is tons where that came from. Another time...

Pic by C

What I know

Right... one of those rare updates, and this one is worth it even if it is just to roast a few old friends and some new friends. The idea was to throw it up in the mag I used to edit, however... long story with no moral or good intentions so lets let that sleeping dog stay coma. It may even go a step further actually, hope y'all don't mind and I am posting faces and names... but the point of the exercise is to highlight how brand Botswana is doing amongst my contemporaries. Unfortunately I missed going to eKasi and I am sure it would have been an eye opener on many levels. And so with less ado I give you... The 1 thing I know about Botswana by some young creatives in Jozi.















VUYO - independent publishing professional
I don’t know much about Botswana I am very curious about it, but I have to admit to being semi-ignorant of it and its history. I know a fair amount about Botswana. One of the first things I learnt about Botswana is that the Pula is worth more than the Rand.


LERATO - writer
Its god damn hot! There is a lot of sand, and there is no suburbs or hoods its all one thing... like a residential area.












VANESSA - advertising account executive
AIDS! My mother warned me,” Yoh ko Botswana o be careful ngwanaka, o be careful. O useh Choice! E seng ye perpole o dirise ya ko cliniking.” Other than that I have been reading books about it, its a huge expansive landscape.




GLADWYN - designer
Nothing! I know there are animals there and the desert. I know there is Gaborone. What I know about it is that there is no hoods and everything is like in the middle you know...?









SEBATHA – student bcom law
Botswana has the death penalty, interesting enough I also know that... I am not sure if its a rumour, but they throw you off a cliff. Tswanas don’t mess around hey, they don’t waste time or resources like that, they do it the effective way, they chuck you off a cliff. And I know the currency is pretty good... that’s what I know about Botswana.

ONTHATILE - photographer
I know that Botswana is safe, you don’t need burglar proofs and what not. So I heard you can leave your doors totally unlocked.


KABOMO - poet
I have done three festivals in Botswana, and not to dis my country, when you say poet poems to Botswana people you feel like they care about the work. In Joburg, sometimes you feel like they care about the hype around the coolness of poetry like, “O Kabomo is on stage, look how he is dressed, look how he is raising his hand.” So afterward people talk about everything else except the content. And every time I have come to Botswana the conversations I have with Botswana people after I perform its always questions about the content. "So you said this what inspired it; What were you thinking...?" And for me as a writer that’s the most beautiful thing ever so I love reading my poems to Botswana people. I guess that’s the one thing I love about it.

Yeah we love it too... don't we. Keep a sharp ear out for a special Podtape featuring sound bites from this snapterview. *hides