High Up The Mountain Poem by Phillip Nine Mafunga

Breathtaking's the view
Strong's the stamina required
For one to ride in the thin clouds
Where an ounce of oxygen's worth a fortune
Those blessed with large nostrils take note

Who needs the summit for visibility
But the seismic vibes daily
The rising's all fun and great
Keeping the balance calls for skill
Could be a hermit, just sing and enjoy the forest shield

Now the whole mountain is shaking
No bondnote nor zig can stop the erruption
Dinosaurs of ancient could not
Agribonds, bearer cheques do you think RTGS would've kept her balance?
With coups we thought we'd steady it
Or maybe recoup our moral refractions
Now we hate our own reflections on the colonial mirror
Maybe we should've learnt from them
Or learnt to unlearn their bad habits
Now the air's too thin' n breathing too hard.
PHILLIP NINE MAFUNGA
19 March 2025