Ridges and valleys
Africa breaks through
The cracks in the city
Hillsides and rooftops
Copters tear the air above
Below them, we stew
Jozi dusty, Jozi blue
Taxis, trucks and cars
Slide on Kitchener’s leg
Straddling Africa’s carcass
Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique
Drift by under a winter sun
And scarabs scuttle on a hillside
Jozi dusty, Jozi blue
Rend and tear the air
Junk discarded
disappears reappears
fills the cracks
In the city
Above it, we stew
Jozi dusty, Jozi blue
Jozi dusty, Jozi blue
Johannesburg, Thursday, August 9, 2001