Let us pretend that all is well in our country
That our leadership is worth following
That they are telling the truth when they lie
Let us pretend that the roads are not crumbling
That the lights are on every night
That the money we pay is being spent wisely
That the people who need help the most are getting it
That it is safe to walk alone at night
Or in the day time
Let’s pretend that we are living in harmony
And not slowly turning against each other
Because we want someone to blame
Most of all let us pretend
That there is nothing we can do about it
Because as long as we believe that
We don’t have to do anything
We can just carry on living our lives
While the country we live them in
And everything that could unite us
Breaks into ever smaller pieces
Until we have nothing left but our fantasies
Published by
Troydon
Troydon Wainwright is a philosopher and Reiki Master based in Cape Town. Born with mild cerebral palsy and dyslexia, Toydon learnt to write as a way to overcome the barriers his dyslexia placed in front of him. “I wrote my way out of dyslexia,” said Troydon, “or at least to the point where reading and writing aren’t a problem anymore.”
During the day he works as an educational facilitator (someone who helps special needs students cope academically and become more independent). At night he dedicates his time to writing. He has won a Nova award for his short story, The Sangoma’s Storm, and been a feature poet at the Off the Wall poetry readings in Cape Town and at Cape Town Central Library. Three of his poems were also included in the anthology Africa’s Best New Poets. He has also been published in the South African Literary journal, New Contrast. One of his Facebook posts, in which he took a stand against racism, has gone viral (http://www.troydonwainwright.com/when-love-went-viral/).
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