On Point
“I didn’t do it,” she said, as she pointed at someone else’s parent’s parents.
“I didn’t do it, “he said, “and I have NEVER used that word.”
“We didn’t do it,” they loudly declared, as they counted out the coins to pay the lady who was busy raising their children.
“I didn’t do it,” she said as she gestured towards her black boyfriend who she had decided
to name ‘Justice’ because it was such a strong, regal sounding name, and rolled so easily
off the tongue.
“I didn’t do it,” he said as he spoke sadly of his inability to find work,
and how a system of structured “reverse racism” was now working viciously against him,
stopping him from B.E.E.ing able to find any employment at all.
“We didn’t do it”, they chorused as they hung another banner together,
calling for an “Off with his head” sentence for the president who couldn’t pronounce all
of the numbers in the language of their choosing.
“I didn’t do it,” she said as she quickly looked away from the scene happening in front of her in the restaurant and crossed over to the other side of the street.
“I didn’t do it,” he said as he quickly logged off of his social media account because it was getting a little uncomfortable now that she had been caught saying that thing.
“We didn’t do it,” they whispered as they grabbed their last bag off the conveyor belt at the airport and set out to begin their new sparkly lives.
Then one day, without warning, they all suddenly ran out of fingers to point and as they stood in front of the mirror, they watched as a thin trickle of blood slowly dripped out of their left nostril and ran quickly down their face, settling in a tiny little growing puddle on the floor.
Irresistibly Fish 
“I didn’t do it”, they chorused after being blamed for the horrors happening all around the country,
and they didn’t do it. They were born into a myriad of systematic injustices and privileged same as the majority were born into the same systems and underprivileged.
“I didn’t do it”, but that doesn’t mean I’m not giving my all to fix those past injustices now.
“I didn’t do it”, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see how I benefited and long to use my unasked-for privileged to work for justice.
“I didn’t do it”, but what answer were you hoping for? Even if I lied and said I did, it wouldn’t fix the mess we’re in. How about instead:
“We are going to do it”, the born frees declared as they took on the lack of quality free education, service delivery, government accountability, corporate and government corruption, and…
“We are going to do it”, the struggle veterans said as they shouldered the fact that there was sadly yet another struggle, only this one is more multi-fasted and maybe harder, but still they stood up yet again.
“We are going to do it”, the white Madam’s said as they heard stories of the past from their workers and new black neighbors, and started supporting and working with both to get real service delivery.
“We are going to do it”, the fresh university graduates said as they started companies and moved into new areas abolishing all the previous government had done to try keep us separate, because WTS!?! They were now friends!
Very few people share the same sentiments or have the same understanding as you in the former part of your comment of “I didn’t do it”-s, but are quick to want to echo the latter part (which isn’t a bad thing). I just feel you can’t claim you want to fix things without fully understand how and why they’re broken. I also think more and more of us are trying best to keep saying “We’re going to do it”, despite all the naysayers so that keeps the hope alive
No category, so please assign it to the relevant area or do a post on this. The J&B Met.
This event showcases the enormously wealthy and excludes the poor. The event is vacuous in thst it’s all about who wear what silly outfit. It’s about gambling which is a sin and bad for society. It’s about cruelty to horses as thousands are trained for this but do not qualify and end up at the butcher. It’s traditional in its classism and elitism. An event that glorifies the devil. There is nothing holy about this. Please can we hear your side on this. Discourage your contacts from Attending. It will make a difference. Thank you.
Greg, i completely hear you and probably agree with most if not all of what you’ve said although i don’t know that a post i write on it will make all that much difference. i think it’s a completely waste of time privileged occasion [as are a bunch of other events and happenings around the country] and then everything you add about the animals and the gambling and so on – but i really don’t think the people who attend are reading my blog…
It feels like a “Let them eat cake” kind of affair of the worst type…
The Zuma must fall part is not quite true. I wouldn’t mind a president who was illiterate as long as he was not corrupt. I would also prefer that he did not waste billions on himself and his own family.
You DO understand poetry, right? And subtlety? And irony? Because it would seem that a good many people who have commented on this POEM have not…
We didn’t do it is irrelevant you’re basically saying here?
Okay we didn’t do it.
I would love to have been part of the group who put the Zuma billboard up. That was brilliant. We really need the guy out before this country is f-ed up.
No, it’s a poem and it feels like everyone is taking it literally and missing the point which maybe means it’s a really bad poem, but i thought it was quite clear and obvious – the refrain from many white people to apartheid and the wrongs that still beset much of our country is ‘It wasn’t me’ because it wasn’t done directly or intentionally or first hand and yet the punchline of the poem is that the sickness does lie within us and it’s pretty hectic and that’s where we need to start…