My
weekend was flooded with words and it felt good sinking in too deep with no
prayers to be rescued, seeking no salvation from this sin of art. It was a two
day poetic offering by Word N Sound Poetry and Live Music Series in
collaboration/partnership (I stand corrected) with Melville Poetry Festival
that started on Saturday and concluded on Sunday. Saturday was poetry as I know
it, PERFORMANCE, PERFORMANCE and
PERFORMANCE. The Word N Sound finalists were bashing us with their poetic
revelations and we (Nomonde, Nkateko and I) sat in the very front row so we
were also blessed with literal spits from the artists, instead of going EEUW, I
felt honoured instead, LOL, I am serious. I felt their anointing falling on me,
LITERALLY.
My
main act for that had me drooling in admiration was Masai Dabula, I am not at
all into male poetry, well because I am an overly sensitive being and therefore
women always know how to have me begging for mercy with their words that always
seem to hit just the right spot, but Masai as unemotional as he was, had me
leaping in incredible heights with joy, he had my friends especially Nkateko,
on their knees worshipping the grounds he spat on and he was deserving of the
adoration. His words were as perfect as the aura that travelled with him and
almost as perfect as the love that left Nkateko blushing like a fool. Nomonde
was validated, she always spoke of the greatness that resided in Masai and I
never showed interest in her words until he walked on that stage and commanded
the world to listen like he were a god and boy did we listen, such authority is
too godly to be ignored. He totally blew my mind away and then Thandiswa Mazwai
came in, Momo went all bananas and then she left, she came in briefly I guess
to see what kept everyone in doors. If I go on about how she stole the crowd
and became a victim of a million stares in wonder or how she had Momo go on and
on and on about her heavenly aura and beauty, I will not get to Sunday, so I
will stop here.
Then
Sunday came, can't believe it was just yesterday, when Nova performed. I
apparently have this love-hate relationship with Nova that Momo and Nkatz
pointed out, which is not to be entertained at this instance, so for now I will
only dwell on the love that I have for her, not that there as any aspect of
hate in me for her. Oh Father, she is one talented woman, she is amazing and I
admire her work. Lord how she blesses me is mystery even to myself. She stood
on that stage yesterday, her body full of tattoos like a rebel and sang me away
in poetry, she serenaded my every limb, and almost had me acting like a groupie
but I contained myself otherwise Momo would have been embarrassed so I behaved
myself, for Momo's sake of course. I personally wanted to misbehave and once in
a while act like a hooligan in love but the audience would have stared at me in
disappointment, the audience was too mature for such teenage tendencies so I
was forced to maturity and I obliged. So anyway, she stood there, dressed in
simplicity, her body scribbled in ink and her voice hypnotic like a lullaby and
sang rhyme to my very being. She performed my favourites, of course she did,
"The Re-Enacting October" and "A Love Supreme" and also
performed the most relevant pieces titled "To do List for Africa" and
"The House We Built". In total she performed 5 poems though I cannot
remember the fifth one. Nonetheless, she knows how to take my breath away with
her work almost as perfect as she is. Nova is a goddess, God's gift to my
world, I wouldn't hate on her even if that was to make me a better person.
Other people performed and they were also good but Nova was the definition of day
and why at all I went to the festival yesterday.
So poetry signed,
sealed and delivered my heart to the God of art in thanksgiving.