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Writer's pictureThe Red Wheelbarrow Poetry

The Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize 2021 Shortlist


Phelelani Makhanya


At dusk;

an old lady jumps off from a bus.

She snails on the bus steps

like she is resisting the descent;

like the bus arrived at her

bus stop too soon.

She left at dawn to queue

for her pension grant.


Like a committed guard,

her teenage grandson is already

waiting at the gate.

She walks towards him

like she is crossing a bridge

made of thatch ropes and broken glass.

She dips her hand

between her breasts.

She pulls a worn-out leather purse.

The grandson’s hand is a hawk;

a predator of all things paper.

He pulls out a stack of banknotes

from the purse.

The old lady casts puppy eyes

on her grandson.

The grandson’s eyes

parade untameable lava.

He throws the empty purse

back at his grandmother’s face.


The old lady walks towards her house

like she is walking in a quagmire of shadows.

She wishes her mud rondavel hut

can run and meet her halfway.

Even tonight, she will be boiling stone for dinner,

as her grandson walks victoriously down the street,

whistling;

calling for his gang.



PHELELANI MAKHANYA is a writer born is South Africa, Maphumulo. His work has been published in major South African literary journals like The New Contrast, New Coin, Botsotso Journal and Avbob Poetry Project. His poetry has also appeared in The Kalahari Review and Praxis Magazine Online. He has performed his poetry around the country which includes Poetry Africa 2011 and Poetry Africa 2018. He was shortlisted for the 2021 Time of the Writer Poetry for Human Rights. His poem Vapour won the 2021 Avbob Poetry Prize (reflection on COVID-19). He has two published poetry collections, This Time I Shall Not Cry and My Father’s Blazer.



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