Aspiring Young Capetonian’s Poem For All South Africans

A young 28-year-old Capetonian has penned a poem – ‘Held Back’ – that every South African should read. Chestlyn Draghoender says “as a coloured youth from Cape Town I am very aware of the issues people of colour face everyday. They seem to have worsened over
time. Most of us don’t know how to express our anger about these issues. Poetry works for me…”

Held Back

You call this a fair race.
You call this life.
Well, what is fair about
being held back, on purpose?
What’s so fair about being ridiculed
for being black or coloured?
Haven’t we learned from the past?

It’s clear that our mindsets
are not the same.
When you label me a “savage”,
Unable to take care of myself,
or the world around me.
When I speak out,
you call me sentimental.
When I fight back, I’m violent.
What’s up with that?

My brother,
this isn’t make believe.
I didn’t learn this from school.
I’ve experienced it myself,
as a citizen of your country.
I have been made to believe
that I can never be truly free.

And I agree.
How can I be free,
while I am suffocating from the heat
of depression and anxiety?
My father and mother both drown
in their own sweat and tears.
My grandmother feels overloaded
with emotional baggage
that, when she dies, are left behind
for the next generation to carry.
So, how can I be free?

Fellow South Africans,
lately there’s been too much talk
and no actions.
Rise up and take your place.
Don’t look past race and culture,
but embrace them.
Keep moving, but take others with you, regardless of their heritage.
There’s no place for a double minded man.

© 2017 Chestlyn Draghoender

This poem was inspired by a video that Chestlyn downloaded from Facebook group ‘Afrikaners Against Racism’, a group of “Afrikaners who completely reject racism, acknowledge the responsibility we have for Apartheid, and stand ready to contribute positively to the building of a new, inclusive South Africa”.

Chestlyn told SAPeople: “It touched me deeply and in a way helped me understand why many less fortunate people are so frustrated. Especially in poor and marginalized communities.”

Chestlyn Draghoender is a young writer and poet from Cape Town, South Africa. His poems have been published by Poetry Potion and Botsotso amongst others. He loves
books and reading. For now he’s writing and trying to get published. “I hope to publish my first collection of poems before the age of 30,” he says.

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To get in touch with Chestlyn send an email to dchestlyn@gmail.com.
Twitter: @Geoff_Da_Poetwww.
Instagram: @dchestlyn1