Apartheid

… you beckoned him
at the beginning
when you needed him
to help you explore
the southern part
of this dark man’s land
at your anchorage then
where you had lost
all hope
at the Cape of Good Hope

… since then
you lassoed him
to quench your thirst
for land
while he,
the dark man
was denied of his rights
and share

… you used him to dig
your mines,
while you didn’t mind
how he lived
so long as each day
at the break of dawn
he was there with strength
to borrow the earth
and uplift
another stack
of diamond or gold

.. he is to you
just another mule
whom you can abuse
to satisfy your glutonny
and lust
for wealth and power
while you never care
to even stretch your arms
or dare to touch him
– lest you brush against his SKIN.