just victoria. with josé. and sebastian.

Jen. Den. Married this year after thirty-two years of collecting tsoris. I love them. I have known them that whole time. Their bed is always unmade I swear. And they never come to visit without iced-tea the way Den makes it and they bring it in a a 10litre petrol cannister. I swear. We have good times kvetching together and making grand plans. When I look at this picture I get farklempt. They have always treated me as something more than gehockter leber. Even though I wonder. Jen is the baleboosteh of note. Den is full of rachmones.

buffer and pause till fully loaded.

I find Syria in a banquet-ing hall in Vereeniging

on the corner of an avenue and Joubert

Syria is on the big screen, inside the loud video, the technical problem,

the pathetic procession in a silver suit that takes to the stage

with a hop, in a bow and a scrape, and,

inside the stand for the man who speaks statistic

and on all the logos, on the VIP name tags

pinned on us

 

We are on list s. We have put ourselves on lists.

We have no war here. We are impended.

 Syria is my mirror on the wine bucket, not a mirage

but a desert, also in silver, shining, empty to match the glasses

We call for water and the waiters’ sweat glistens in the spot

While we wait for the fruits of the vine (and aircon) but find none

Though I think I see Syria, again, there, in satin  

on the sash of Miss Vereeniging herself, emblazoned

 at the replete round table, next to ours

She is not Fadwa Soliman no and I

am not either

 

And this is not Syria. This is Vereeniging.

 

Images: Vereeniging Banqueting Hall from the parking lot; footprints cut into the doorway of the Ain Dara Temple, Syria. Sourced with thanks from the Commons Wiki. The Ain Dara temple might be King Solomon's Temple and it might not. It probably is not but what do I know? What? They have found similarities - you can gistologise this yourself on the pedia. Syria will never be Vereeniging though I found it there.

 

 

 

you did this while i was sleeping. that was in my dream.

and you were there when i woke up. thinking i was dreaming.

the first thing i saw were stars and birds and people flying.

i told you everything from the beginning.

Mike Brown                                                                                                                                Nedbank                                                                                                                                         email: mikeb@nedbank.co.za

Dear Mr Brown

I'm writing to say that despite MYRIAD attempts to Fica my child's bank account, since we first Fica'd the thing when we opened it, Nedbank appear unable to do the paperwork and as a result, we can neither close the account nor can my child access his money.

My child is a teenager Mr Brown. He eats money.

The account was opened at the beginning this year and we did once receive a letter confirming that. In February. We were excited. At the time, I told my child that I had been banking with Nedbank for 30 years.

We have been to visit various branches of Nedbank on a number of occasions to sort the matter out. We have stood in queues. We have filled in forms. We have been sent away. We have been summonsed back. We have been provided with extra forms to complete. We have been told forms have been lost. We have been told forms were never submitted. We have spent our petrol. We have made phone calls. We have written emails. Most of all we have wasted our time.

I have cried in one of your branches. That also did not help ... though I can tell you it was not put on.

You are certainly teaching my child to save his allowance and use mine instead. You are also teaching him that bloated bureaucracy does not work and that respect has to be earned.

This morning we received a mail from one of your staff who advises us that your Fica Department have actually received the paperwork. Amazing. How on earth did this miracle happen?

However, she further advises, that "due to the back-lock" we are going to have to wait. For an amount of time she does not stipulate.

I attach herewith an invoice for R5000.00. This includes all the costs we have incurred and a small service charge for repeatedly doing your organisation's paperwork for nothing. We are not charging for aggravation because we do not think your company would be able to afford this invoice and are writing it off to extremely bad debt. However, I must advise you that unless my child's bank account is fully functional within 24 hours I will consider laying a charge of theft.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any queries.

Yours sincerely

Lesley Perkes

 

 

Basani

Basani and Pauline reading Celine's "Guignol's Band I & II"

I wonder why that book? Not for me on this Monday morning Celine's cursed raving on about how ugly we become, how we get old, how hopeless it is. 

Though I like this: Si vous n'êtes pas riche, vous devez toujours regarder utiles. And I like google translate.