I miss you (A poem)

I Miss You
By Agisanang Mokua and Obakeng Phiri (Agisanang is my nephew and an aspiring poet)

Every time I cry
There is no one to hold me
Every time I’m sad
There is no one to smile at me.

When problems come my way
I have no-one to help me solve them
My life is a nightmare
My enemies attack me
And I have no one to support me

Sometimes I wish I was with you
Sometimes I wish I could disappear
But one thing keeps me strong
My memories of you
I miss you

The morning after

She cooks bacon and eggs for breakfast
A special treat for the family
He hugs and kisses her
Thanks her for a nice meal.

A pretty picture they paint
I can almost forget
The sound of his fist on her face
Her body crashing on the cupboard
With a thud

The shouts and insults of the night before
The taste of fear and shame
At his rage ......

"Niki hurry up!"
My friend Anna calls from the door
"The principal will make us clean the yard
If we’re late for school."

I grab my bag
Feet pounding and breath heaving
Anna and I run to get to school on time

No matter how fast, I run
I cannot escape
The sound of my father’s fist
On my mother’s face
Her body crashing onto the cupboard
With a thud

The Frog Princess - Another Take

Sipho Monareng liked fishing. It was a quiet, relaxing sport that put him in tune with nature even while he thought through some life or work-related problems.

On this Sunday morning, Sipho did not have big problems to worry about. He had just finished working on a big software programming job. The customer was happy with a job well-done. He had lots of money in the bank. The only minor problem was his mother, who nagged him every chance she got, saying he should marry.

“It’s time you found a nice girl who’ll love you and give me grandchildren,” she said. “You’re not getting any younger, you know.”

But Sipho was not in a hurry to marry. He liked his life just the way it was. So he sat by the riverbank, casting his lines to catch some fish. His mind drifted a bit.
“Excuse me sir, but I need your help,” a deep croaky voice said.
“What?” Sipho cried.
He looked around, but he did not see anyone nearby. In fact, there was no other person near the riverbank.

“I’m down here,” the croaky voice said. “I’m in the water, right in front of you.”
Fascinated, Sipho looked down, and saw a big frog standing just outside the water, looking at him.

“Please sir, help me!”
“Wow! What are you?” Sipho asked.

The frog explained that her name was Helki. She was actually a princess from a well-known African tribe. Her sister, who was power-hungry and evil, cast a spell on her.

“I was supposed to inherit our kingdom after my parents’ death, but my sister changed me into a frog so she could become Queen. According to the spell, I can only go back to being a person if a handsome man like you kissed me on the lips,” Princess Helki explained.

Sipho had heard of the princess and her disappearance. It was all over the newspapers, radio and TV for weeks. At first authorities said it was a kidnapping, but when there was no ransom demand and time passed, it was thought she had been killed. Her body was never found.

“You’re really her?” Sipho asked, awed.
"Yes I am,” the frog said. “Kiss me and you’ll see.”
"Wow. Cool!"

Sipho bent down and picked Princess Helki up. But instead of kissing her like she asked, he put her in his bait box, packed up his fishing gear and walked back to his car. After stowing his fishing gear in the boot, he took the bait box into the car with him.

Princess Helki was beating weakly on the lid, begging him to open the lid.
“Sorry I had to stuff you in there, but I needed to pack up quickly and I couldn’t think of a good place to put you while I do that. ” Sipho apologized. "I'll let you out as soon as we get home I promise."

After packing his fishing gear in the garage, Sipho took the bait box and an old bird cage and took them to his home office. Then he took Princess Helki out of the baitbox.

“You idiot! How dare you lock me in a box with soft, fleshy dead things!” she yelled.
Helki took several deep breaths to try to calm down. It wouldn’t do to antagonize the person on whom your whole existence depends on, she thought.

“Sorry, but it was very upsetting to be trapped in that airless box with that wiggly stuff. I’m a human being, a princess, not a frog and I really hate the smell of bait,” she said.
“Sorry,” Sipho mumbled.
“As I was saying, I really need you to kiss me on the lips so I can go back to being a woman. If you did, I would be so grateful that I would marry you and rule my people by your side. Being my husband will bring you a lot of power and riches. Hey, hey, what are you doing?” Princess Helki said.

As Helki was speaking, Sipho had put her in a bird cage and locked the door.
“I’m really sorry Princess but I can’t kiss you. As I told my mother, I don’t really need a wife,” Sipho said. “ I don't need your money. I make lots of money doing programming jobs. And I’m just a geeky person who’s happiest when I am alone working on my software development programmes, I wouldn't know what to do with all that power you're talking about. But even if I did want those things, I still wouldn’t help you.”

‘And why would you not help me?” Princess Helki shrieked.

“Because I know more about your kingdom than you think,” Sipho said. “I just finished a programming job for your sister, and from what I hear, she was the one who was supposed to inherit. But you didn’t like it and tried to overthrow her. Then suddenly you disappeared. No one knew where you went, and she put in a good show, pressuring the police to find you. Neat way to get rid of traitors, don't you think?”
“No I don't! And if you knew all this, why did you take me out of the river?”

Sipho explained that he admired Princess Helki's sister and the work she was doing to help her people. "So I thought I'd do her a favour and put you where you’ll never have a chance to ask another man for a kiss. Anyway, having a talking frog to keep me company while I pull all-nighters will be real cool!” Sipho said.
'Aaaaaaaaaah!" Princess Helki screamed. But there was no one to hear; just Sipho, who laughed as he sat down at his desk, logging onto his laptop.

The Tortoise and the Baboon Plant Fruit Trees

“Let’s plant fruit trees,” Tortoise said to his friend Baboon.

Baboon was lazy. He did not want to plant a fruit tree.
“It’s too much work,” he said.

Baboon said he always found enough food from other people’s trees.
“Why should bother to plant my own tree?” he asked.
“So you can have your own fruit from your own trees,” Tortoise said.

Baboon did not want to work in the garden.
He wanted to go out and play. But when he saw Tortoise set to work, he also began to plant his tree.

Tortoise dug a deep hole and prepared the soil to grow his fruit tree.
He chose to grow peaches.

Baboon chose to grow bananas.
He dug the surface of the soil.
He stuck his tree into the hard soil and threw some ashes on top of it.
He did not brother to water it.

Days later, Baboon’s banana tree died.

Tortoise’s peach tree grew stronger every day.
After a couple of months, it was fine and strong.
It bore big, soft peaches that looked juicy to eat.

Unfortunately, the Tortoise could pick his lovely fruit.
He tried to climb up the stem of the tree.
But the bark was too hard and rough.
It hurt his stomach.

He tried to climb up a ladder.
But the spaces between the rungs were too big.
He fell through them onto the ground.

He threw rocks at the peaches, hoping to hit them so they fall to the ground.
But he missed them.

He was sitting under his tree, trying to find a way to get up to fruit when Baboon strolled by. “My, my, your peaches look delicious,” Baboon said. “Your idea to plant fruit trees was a very good one. I wish I had worked as hard on my tree as you did on yours.”

Tortoise asked Baboon for help to pick fruit.
“I’ll give you some of my peaches for your trouble,” Tortoise said.

Baboon said he was happy to help a friend.
He climbed up to the tree, sat on a branch, picked a big, juicy peach and began to eat.

“Baboon, you’re not supposed to sit out there and eat my fruit. You’re supposed to pick them for me and bring the down,” he shouted.

Baboon ignored Tortoise.
He ate and ate, until his stomach was full.
Then he ate some more fruits for good measure.

When he was so full his stomach felt like it would burst, Baboon took one peach, crawled off the tree and gave it to Tortoise.

“Here. They taste really good. Your idea to plant a banana tree was a very good one,” he said. Then he strolled off.

Old Man Moseki

I was in grade two (about six years old), and we were required to tell a folktale we’d heard from parents/grandparents as part of oral work.
Old Man Moseki walked down the road
Cutting across the village of Phokeng
He was going to visit his Ancestors
In graves on the other side of the river.
“I’m going to ask them to remove my bad luck and make us rich,” he told his wife..

While walking on the road, Old Man Moseki saw a round, shiny thing on the ground.
It was a R2 coin.
Old Man Mosekipicked up the coin.
He looked at it.
Then he put in back on the ground.
“Let me leave the coin here. I’m sure I’ll find it when I come back from visiting my ancestors,” he said.

Old Man Moseki kept on walking.
Along the way, he saw a piece of paper fluttering on the ground.
He bent down, grabbed the paper.
The old man picked up the R200 note.
He was very happy.
“This money will buy a lot of food for my family!” he thought.

Old man Moseki did not want to take the money with him to the ancestors.
What would they think if he came asking for riches while carrying such a large amount of money?

He decided to hide the money in the bushes.
He put the R200 note under a big rock.
The rock was hidden by the grass
Growing on the sides of the road.
“No one will find this money until I come back,” he said.

Old Man Moseki walked on.
Near the river, he met Radikgomo, one of the riches men in the village.
“Dumela Ntatemogolo,” Radikgomo greeted the old man. “I hope you are well?”
The old man told Radikgomo of his trip.
“I am going to visit the ancestors to ask them to make me as rich as you,” old man Moseki said.

Radikgomo was very happy for Old Man Moseki.
“I hope the ancestors hear your plea and make you rich too,” he said.

Radikgomo also asked the old man a favour.
“I need to build another kraal for animals, and I was wondering if you would keep some of my donkeys until the job is done.”

Radikgomo also said Old man Moseki could use the donkeys for his own business and to serve the community. :”The donkeys will bring you some money and I would be very grateful for the help,” he said.

But the old man refused to help Radikgomo.
“Get away from me!” he said. “I thought you were a good person, but now I see you are jealous of me. You know the ancestors will bless me with wealth. Now you are trying to keep me so busy taking care of your business that I will not have time to take care of my own.”

Old Man Moseki walked away, muttering to himself. ‘The ancestors will answer my pleas, see if they won’t!”

He walked crossed the river over the bridge.
He walked the short distance to the graveside, where many his parents and their parents were buried.
He stood near his mother’s grave and explained his mission.

He pleaded with the ancestors to take away his bad luck.
He begged them to make him rich.
He promised to do anything they wanted as long as they gave him this one thing.

On the way back home, he met Radikgomo.
Radikgomo was looking for a donkey that escaped from his kraal.
Radikgomo did not speak to the old man.
He looked the other way so their eyes do not meet.
He did not want to fight with the old man again.
“Humphhh!” Old man Moseki snorted.

Old Man Moseki walked to the tree where he left the two rand note.
He turned the rock.
There was nothing underneath.
“Oh no, who saw me put the money here?”

Thinking of the five cent coin, he walked as fast as his creaky bones would carry him.
His eyes were glued to the ground.
He looked for his five cent coin.
But he did not find it.
Someone else walked down the road, saw the shiny coin and took it.

Old Man Moseki got angry.
“My ancestors have abandoned me,” he cried.

When he arrived at home, he told his wife what had happened.
“I don’t know what to do now to remove our bad luck,” he said.

Old Man Moseki’s wife shook her head sadly. “Moseki, we are not poor because we have bad luck. We are poor because you are blind to our good fortune, even when it dances around your feet, begging it to take it home,” she said.