–For Myesha Jenkins, who transitioned in 2020, after 72 years in Africa and the Diaspora
still bringing us together
two and a half years on
Tuesday poets what’s app group
you created for Myesha’s Memoirs
podcasting our poetry and jazz
to celebrate your life
soon to end
Jozi House of Poetry
where we first met
at the Bioscope where you started it
and chose to move to the Afrikan Freedom Station
when Maboneng became too lit
Out There Sessions you spawned at The Orbit
adding a new instrument stanzas
to valves reeds and keys
featuring so many poets musicians
rarely yourself
you and a few springing
poets still backstage early
21st century Africa
Soft fists…
Heaving the needles
as Plath once wrote
how in Laughter Remembered you
rendered the poetry of a young girl’s
fierce hug
raw truth
unfurling art for humanity in schools branching beyond
the choice few into South Africa’s many languages
spoken written drawn
mushrooms that first appeared
in my mint patch day after you passed
orange on green yesterday
white on green today
What are you doing out so late, ma?
you once wrote
playing mushrooms in mint
you answer
like stanzas and jazz
Salimah Valiani is a poet, activist and researcher. Her poetry collection, 29 leads to love (Inanna 2021), is the 2022 winner of the International Book Award for Contemporary Poetry. She has published four other poetry collections: Breathing for Breadth (TSAR), Letter Out: Letter In (Inanna), land of the sky (Inanna), and Cradles (Daraja). Her story-poem, “Dear South Africa,” was selected for publication in Praxis Magazine’s 2019-2020 Online Chapbook Series. Her audio and chapbook, Love Pandemic, was released in late 2022 by Daraja Press. See more about her work on Facebook at SalimahValianiPoet.
the Decolonial Passage 