An Ode To Durban



In Durban's CBD you are bound to see
Best friends giggling like school girls, holding hands,
sunglasses, wigs, sweets, cosmetics, atchaar stands
Fiends picking up glass,looking through the trash, you smell them before you see them, begging for some cash
Tall buildings and high hopes, so much youth around, the city is alive, the heart beat is loud and never coming down
I'm on my way to him, my little slice of heaven
And I'm distracted by the R10 novels on the pavement and the street librarians
The Nigerians advertising hair salons with Colgate smiles and boisterous confidence
The Pakistanis behind fix your phone store counters with the timid looks and visible apprehense
Huge piles of clothes right on the road being sold by the Zulus
Eventually you end up giving in and having a look too, to find that it's all brand names and cool kid apparel, the kids are alright saving hundreds and buying cheap jackets by the barrel
My brother is an old master of the thrifting streets
He lives in the heart of the city, he's 10 minutes from the beach
You can smell the ocean,it has a bewitching scent, beckoning some to enter the blue waters solely to repent
The religious dress in all white, a small congregation by the shallow, being baptized in the salty sea in hopes of a sin free tomorrow
I love my city, it's diversity and it's beauty
I watch all the magical moments play out like a movie
When I'm on Florida road I never seem to have enough money, every block has an establishment that does not cater for just anybody
The lifestyles of the rich and those who try is portrayed in that litter free path, it's oh you don't have the latest material object, you poor soul, bless your heart
And who am I but a mere mortal? Not willing to sacrifice enough to enter that golden portal
I know that sometimes what looks gold is just piss, and I know there are some circles in my city I can afford to miss
I worked in Umhlanga, that's where the wealthy stay, the mansions are right by crystal beaches,  less than 5 minutes away
It's a whole different world, the cars the malls the people
The proportion of skin colour is unbalanced, its less than equal, there's a clear distinction between those who work and those who own
Those who work travel from far, those who own are right at home
Those who own are often less melanated than I, those who look like me they're the worker bees in the hive
They work at places like CCI, making dollars but earning rands, when the currency is bad those who offshore their businesses are the ones who win
The customers pay big bucks and the labour is so cheap because those who work, those people who look like me, they don't have a choice because they come from my part of the city
The nearest mall is a taxi away and some have no water or electricity, the environment is unsanitary it lacks service delivery, and having a loving home is a rare commodity
The hood is not all bad, the homeless don't really exist, and small businesses tend to thrive because the people are relentless and they persist
We support one another, whether it's birthday celebrations or the loss of a loved one, and when we go to foriegn lands we show them just where we come from
I have traveled and seen the material, the cloth that others are sewn from, and even though I have more to see my city is second to none
Durban, my city, the warmest place to be

About this poem

This poem is a love letter to my city, Durban (South Africa). I wrote it to express all the good and bad parts of my city and why it's so special to me.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on March 19, 2022

Submitted by dianakhumalo47 on June 28, 2022

Modified on March 05, 2023

3:15 min read
4

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBCDEFGAHIJKLMAAANIOPIQRSTAAUVEA
Characters 3,375
Words 634
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 33

Diana Khumalo

I'm a 23 year old journalism student who loves to read and write. more…

All Diana Khumalo poems | Diana Khumalo Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem An Ode To Durban with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "An Ode To Durban" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/131341/an-ode-to-durban>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    8
    hours
    23
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    What year was "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral" originally published?
    A 1701
    B 1789
    C 1761
    D 1773