English Alive fifty years of writing by South African high school students 50 Compiled by Robin Malan This complimentary copy is sponsored by Pearson 9780636201453_mlt_lan_lit_fet_eng_za_cvr 2.indd 3 2016/09/02 8:33 AM Pearson South Africa (Pty) Ltd 4th floor, Auto Atlantic Building, Corner of Hertzog Boulevard and Heerengracht, Cape Town, 8001 Offices in Johannesburg, Durban, East London, Polokwane, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg and Mbombela. website: http://schools.pearson.co.za South African Council for English Education (SACEE) Western Cape, Box 23914, Claremont, 7735 Email: editorial [email protected] business [email protected] © in the individual pieces held by SACEE Western Cape © in the Introduction and this compilation held by Robin Malan 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. (epdf): ISBN 9780636201484 (print): ISBN 9780636201453 First published in 2016 Book design by Pearson Media Hub Cover design by Pearson Media Hub Editing by Kathleen Sutton Typesetting by Charlene Bate Cover images (clockwise from bottom left to bottom right): 2014 Christian Botha, Michaelhouse 1968 ‘Based on an original design by a 1967 Wynberg pupil in Standard VIII’ 1995 Emma Viljoen, Rustenburg High School for Girls 2000 Photograph by Monica Toerien, Frank Joubert Art & Design Centre 2005 Senzwa Gum, Pinelands High School ENGLISH ALIVE 50 1967–2016 Contents * See end of anthology for later career in literary or related fields † Had work published in English Alive in every year of their high school career Introduction 9 John Bradley Poetry wrighting (1983) 9 Thanks and acknowledgements 10 Jeremy Cronin* A farmer contemplates death 11 1967 David Lan* A sad and tired fire 11 Jeff Peires* Regenerate not us, O Lord ... 12 Charles Rom* How shall I tell? 12 Charles Rom* Of cabbages and kings 13 Elaine Unterhalter* City people 14 Lynda Albertyn So this is a hippy! 15 1968 T Buckland Slum child 16 Linda Caro ‘Hello’ 17 Nigel Fogg* Magnolia Clinic 18 Wilhelm L Hahn That Wednesday morning 19 Michael A King* The nightwatchman 19 I Malet-Warden Our garden 21 Elizabeth Spilhaus To Philip 21 Peter Terry* Extract from: Wandering thoughts of an unhappy minstrel 21 Menán du Plessis* The angry oak 22 1969 Jeremy Gordin* From us in Brakpan, South Africa – to a sister and daughter in London 23 David Lan* Afternoon 25 G C S Lishman God 26 Kelwyn Sole* Persuasion 28 Michael Strauss Tribute to a boy 29 Robert van der Valk* i can’t ever forget 30 Andre Eva Bosch* When someone once said 31 1970 Menán du Plessis* Flautist 31 Michele Freind busstop 32 Lynette Liebenberg That’s because I’ve gone 32 Trevor Lubbe the burglar 33 Graeme Bloch* Sergeant Musgrave’s Dance 34 1971 I R Duncan-Brown Thoughts on service 35 Achmed Kariem signs of the times 36 Susan Rosenberg Christians? 37 Gerald Kraak* The apple 37 1972 Michael D Lindemann† Sea-facing room 38 Anthony Shaw There were riots here once 39 Clare Stopford* Sweet sad illusion 40 Nkathazo Kamnyayiza Come, come along with me 41 1973 Mike Kantey* How now, brown cow? 42 A N Swanson Mapuza – the police 43 K Duncan Apocalypse 43 1974 Arlene Jukes John’s brown body 43 N Sinclair Thomson In black and white 45 E Watson Weapon 45 Michael Annett My dive 46 1975 Ronald H Louw Away from the rain 47 Julia Martin* School uniform 47 Stuart Stromin* If I owned the sun 48 Stuart Stromin* joy 48 Robin Auld* Fido 49 1976 Elizabeth Boucher Solomon 50 Shaun Johnson* The case for murder 52 Stuart Stromin* caring 52 Beryl Gendall Love 53 1977 Debbie Lansdown ‘Meet my folks’ 54 Kate Philip To some guy somewhere 55 Matthew Walton Untitled 55 Helen Moffett* Listening to ‘While my guitar gently weeps’ 56 1978 Mark Shepherd A turning point 57 Laura Menachemson Can you relate to lentils? 57 1979 Miranda Rajah Fifteen 58 Andy Foose To tell a story 59 1980 Shaun de Waal* Futura 62 1981 Heather Robertson* Sixteen in South Africa 63 Craig Barnard The pub 64 1982 David Montgomery Moment of truth 65 Ronel Slabbert Discrimination 66 Catherine Belling His coy mistress replies 67 1983 Kathleen Dey* A woman’s place 68 Nguni Muchaka Lizard 68 Margot Pienaar That … love issue 69 Dan Pillay* Tuesday morning in the city 69 Justin Fox* Empty chair 71 1984 Faisal Kaka African touchdown 72 Peter Wagenaar Thoughts on a broken angel 74 Peter Anderson* Torn nets 74 1985 Marion Edmunds* Abraham 75 Donald Ferguson Visions – black, white and technicolour 76 Misbahnur Haffejee Outcry 77 Deborah Klein School of thought 78 D Malapane Yet the sun still rose 79 Cathy Boshoff Written during the State of Emergency 79 1986 Sheena (Siona) O’Connell* I’m just Sheena 80 Henrietta Rose-Innes*† The plane 81 Stephen B Walker* Mbuso 82 G Madikiza I have fears 86 1987 Henrietta Rose-Innes*† Jerry’s Café 88 Richard Leibbrandt Homecoming 90 1988 Aziwe Magida Feeling rejected 90 Julie van Rijswijk Humanity 91 Megan Hall* Poem 92 1989 Natalie Lynch So much of South Africa 93 Sunita Ramjee Perfect moment 94 Henrietta Rose-Innes*† Stopping on the way 95 Benedict Khumalo Intruders 96 1990 Mxolisi Nkosi Tomorrow 96 Andrew Parker This is South Africa 97 Caryl Perfect The farrowing of the pig 98 Vaneshran Arumugam* Going to the shop with everything 99 1991 Su-Lin Stuart The chessboard 100 Mark Hewat Mother Nature 101 1992 Atholl Murray Circus 101 Bronwyn Puttock A different perspective 102 Gerhardt Will Sea fever 102 Rosamund Kendal* Haiku 103 1993 Penelope Rose The home front 103 Simon Bothner The new South Africa 105 1994 Nadia Davids* Reflections in a mirror 106 Deborah Haines Our country is not at war 107 Noluthando Makhunga Toyi-toyi 107 Ian Coleshaw Chasing the wind 108 1995 Matthew Dalby The letter 109 Carolyn Esser* You weren’t there 110 Nomfundo Khabela Black barbie doll 111 Karen Schlebusch* Madiba 112 Katlego Setshogoe Why is happiness always yesterday? 112 Aletta Muller Lemon-tree lesson 113 Mbali Sibisi I wish I could sing 113 Robert Silke* Early-morning Clifton 114 Andrew Auld Only this nail 116 1996 Dominique Johnson Wha’ da mess 117 Sarah Johnson*† Pot poem 118 Nicholas Spagnoletti* In memoriam 119 Annabel van der Merwe Don’t 121 Jan van Zyl Smit* To his university’s Transformation Forum 122 Emma Attwell* Ironing denims: an exercise in femaleness 123 1997 Daliso Chaponda* Little Black Riding Hood 124 Tom Cox Night swimming 125 John Diseko Having come this far, there is no turning back 126 Jennifer Johnston Science 127 Raymond Moleli Goodbye 128 Samantha Solomons Requiem for a young poet 129 Dylan Culhane Shakespeare on acid: a film review 130 1998 Lee Pope-Ellis Speeding ‘fine’ 132 Mikhael Subotzky* When all is quiet and peace restored 133 Hedley Twidle* Sax 134 Nicole Whitton i want to kill time with you 134 Karabo Bogoshi Down the birth canal 135 1999 Ross Hofmeyr Toolbox 136 Chris Honey Poetry ain’t easy 137 Sarah Johnson*† At Cavendish 137 Natasha Joseph* Psychology sux, OK? 138 Richard Stacey Telephone piece 139 Jon Keevy* In everything 140 2000 Jared Licina The millennium and beyond 140 Onele Mfeketo* The betrayal 142 Mpho Mokgoatlheng Wanna buy a pair of Diesel jeans? 143 Rozanne Blaauw Manifesto of an 18-year-old 145 2001 Dave Bryant Drunk 145 Jolene Cummings How does it, K Watson? 146 Alexander du Plessis my crying butterfly 146 Keagan Georgiou Dumped 147 Karen Jennings* Shop 147 Duane Jethro* The cotton 148 Jaco van der Merwe Love poem of a dumped jock 148 Davin Widgerow ‘The world is charged with the grandeur of G-d’ 149 Siphokazi Jonas* Words of silence 150 2002 Jaco van der Merwe What in God’s name … 151 Jeffrey Dunlop-Jones John Lennon 152 2003 Jonathan Hau-Yoon Sonnet to a Sk8r Girl 152 Mark Jelley Good night, sweet prince 153 Amy Little Tow-truck scavengers 154 Andisiwe Mgibantaka* Ordinary people 155 Simon Pickering The screaming bush 156 Kelda van Heerden Untitled 158 Philip Williams On Kristallnacht (9 November 1938) 160 Kim Looringh van Beeck My year of baked beans 161 2004 Sean MacGinty ‘No recess’ 162 Lee-Ann Rhoodie You and I 163 Emma de Wet After Eliot 163 2005 Siphokazi Kawa I have music in me 164 Amy Jephta* The affair at Number 14 165 2006 L A Appel I am me 168 2007 Alexei du Bois Darkness and memory 169 Zwelisha Giampietri Between worlds 171 Errol Lai King Jigsaw 173 Beyers de Vos The future 175 2008 Michelle Doyle Short story 176 Sharon Green The audition 177 Tshepo Mashigo Who am I? 178 Emma Mostert He can never know 178 Luwela Nodada Untitled 179 Andy Petersen* Winter orphan 180 Mariechen Puchert I hide 180 Michael Alberti Lunchtime 181 2009 Jessica Ilunga Immigrants 183 Gilbert Mubangizi Here 184 Laurie Scarborough Ballet 184 Nkululeko Tsotetsi Young ’n’ black 184 Emma Boshoff Appalled: A response to ‘The Vulture 2010 and the Baby’ (1994) by Kevin Carter 186 Sinalo Dlanga Phone call 187 Lara Evans Anonymous 188 Oliver February Dear God 189 Kate Pinchuck ‘Take me to the riot’ 189 Aliyah Rachel Rainer A little over-exaggerated 190 Caitlin Tonkin How do you find me? 191 Xabiso Vili Layers of an onion 192 Gregory Booysen Dogs of war 192 2011 Francis de Satgé The Interahamwe of Mbekweni 194 Gladys Kisela Mrs van Tonder in her pink pantoffels … 197 Emmanuel Letsoalo Marvel at the immortality of my legacy 198 Kopano Maroga Walking away 198 Trudie Spangenberg A poem I am not allowed to write 199 Nicole Sykes Racial prejudice: alive and well in South Africa 200 Tim Hardwick I am me 201 2012 Samantha Hayward Burning ice 203 Salma Khan TADA – Teenagers Against Daddy’s Aspirations 204 Siposetu Mbuli A speech 205 Marianne Thesen Law Untitled 206 Jabulile Majokweni See me smile 209 2013 Tebogo Masetlana The survivor 209 Bonheur Nfurayase I am who I am 210 Ben Albertyn No chicken’s apology 211 2014 Benedict Didcott-Marr Paperback writer 212 Dilkash Harryprasadh Part-time visitor 213 Aneeb Hendricks Be yourself 215 Helena Maertens My teacher asked me to write about happiness 215 Jessica Mugambe Eight letters.