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State of the Nation, 2017

State of the Nation, 2017

A poem by Mark Heywood

Selfish nation
Rape nation
Khwezi nation
Raped nation
Racist nation
Bad to be poor nation
Oppressed if you’re black nation
Happy if you’re white nation

Nyaope nation
Dying without dignity nation
Dead in your hospital bed nation
Drowning in a toilet nation
Swimming in the sushi nation
Blue-light nation
No light nation
Murder in the night nation
Security nation
Psychiatric death nation
Safer in the suburbs nation

TB nation
Tender but not tender nation
Desperately despairing nation
600 HIV infections a day nation
Hungry nation
Homeless nation
Dog-eat-dog nation
Fuck the poor nation
Lucky if you’re rich nation

Corrupt nation
Zuma nation
Gupta nation
Rupert nation
‘Sold to the highest bidder’ nation
Not your nation
Lying politician nation
Shame nation
Shame on you nation
No more rainbow nation nation
Their state of the nation nation

Death on the road nation
Return to apartheid education nation
Angry nation

Annihilated youth nation
Denied a basic education nation
Death by the toilet nation
Dearth of ideas nation
Better ANC than dead nation

Your nation
My nation
Silent to be sad nation
Does anybody care anyway nation
Screaming nation
Strangled at birth nation
No more Mandela nation
Whose nation
Not my nation
Why nation? Why Nation?
What have we done nation?

Possible nation
Promise nation
If only there was Ubuntu nation
Resilient and resisting nation
Not too late to hope nation
Time to resist nation
Waiting to be born nation

Your nation
Your nation
Your nation
Your nation

Your nation?
My nation?
Not the nation we want for our children nation?
Time to rescue the captured nation?
Then get off your arse and fight for it nation

DM

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