Table for 10



May I have a table for 10 please!
A 10-seat table for 'dipoo tša m'thoto' please!
Give them an open space for a bit of fresh air
The aim is to enjoy this Ga-Mamoloi Affair
Let them anecdote the past as homeboys
Lest they wreck havoc like renegade cowboys
Truth be told, this is no last supper
Call it the reconnection of Mogobogobo Upper

May I have table for 10 please!
Allocate a seat to Mpenene Lepena please!
But make sure you remove anything fragile
So melodramatic, so energetic, and so agile
Classroom was never your favourite place
'Ke kgopela go ya clos' your preferred phrase
You'd throw tandrums when denied a request
The Mpenene-Kalebe song is your bequest

May I have a table for 10 please!
Make room for Maripane Mphopho please!
Your amusing relationship with bread corners
You'd cripple 2 loafs with no need for partners
Did you really mistook dogmore for soup?
Could it be the reason you caught croup?
And that cow kick that left you traumatized?
That made us run across the kraal agonized

May I have a table for 10 please!
Make room for Samiso Mzula please!
I thought our 'Somizi' spoke in stutter
Until I heard his 'Kenny o hwile' splutter
The day my cousin fell from a 'mofaya' tree
I was so freightened I couldn't help but agree
Only for Nurse Makwakwa to prove us wrong
And out of that experience we created a song

May I have a table for 10 please!
Make room for Maakiba Michael please!
Cool and collected you'd never turn suspect
All I got from you and Calvin was respect
We shared an affinity for Lendy the dog
How I miss our rainy-day hunts in a fog
Little brother to my childhood partner-in-crime
No wonder he's still close to me in our prime

May I have a table for 10 please!
Give a seat to Tebza Manabeng please!
An educated left foot on the football pitch
Dribbling wizardry that could get one a stitch
You were party to Smit disputing Skopo's goal
Dabulamanzi confirmed it was as hot as coal
It was such a hilarious sangoma consultation!
But the verdict dampened your expectation

May I have a table for 10 please!
Ululate for Leroy Erasmus please!
Cheers! Our flamboyant trendsetter of note
Cheers! A fashionista worthy of a judge's vote
A gifted singer with a loud mime
A dancer born ahead of his time
I still hear 'the lord is my shepherd' rendition
As if I put you on a lifelong repetition

May I have a table for 10 please!
A softy for my cousin Smiley Masele please!
'Monna-e-moso' was your pet name
As dark and handsome as they came
I'd laugh at your Ramotjatji-inspired dance
Smiley-Thabo moves that had me in trance
You'd lighten Moseneki's hut with your laugh
Muting any possible smoke-induced cough

May I have a table for 10 please!
Round of applause for my man Tswiri please!
What a solid 'Madonna-Tswiri-Liver' defence
A combo that thwarted any striker's offence
We were so awed by your ladies courting skill,
That we once wore your attire to attract a kill
I swear it wasn't mine but Ntekane's motion
We quipped that it was Matolo's love portion

May I have a table for 10 please!
A room for Madibeng Dallas please!
Him of the Dallas Young Sweepers FC fame
Architect of the Ganja development game
In your typical Zola Mahobe fashion,
You paid us 'salaries' to increase our passion
S'kuba had fun carrying your black briefcase
He knew the day would end up at a beer place

May I have a table for 10 please!
Make room for Bra Slyzin please!
Those 1985 student revolt evening meetings
You'd offer us your revolutionary greetings
The night police interrupted our interaction,
I ran behind you and Phaladi for protection
Funny how you guys accelerated speed!
I guess I resembled a 'kgopana' on weed
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Submitted on March 16, 2021

Modified on April 11, 2023

3:21 min read
45

Quick analysis:

Scheme Aabbccdd aaeefxgg Aahhiijj Aadbkkll Aammxxnn Aaooppqq Aarrnnqq Aassttxx Aaxauuqq Aassqqff Aavvqqww
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 3,550
Words 655
Stanzas 11
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8

Sereti sa Mamokutu

Sereti sa Mamokutu is a South African poet who writes and recites praise poems as a hobby. He resides in a rural village of Mafefe in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. more…

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