there’s a new breed
of vintage-wearing brown girls
they started off by straightening their hair
and speaking English
had Foschini accounts
and rode only first class
the type that had boyfriends
when they were still just burks
that got offended
if I scanned something wrong at the till by Clicks
the type that kept that light skin gene
in the family
they were the prettiest girl
in the township
the type that’s pretty to coloured people
the type that believed an au pair in Europe
is a title
and married some unattractive old white guy
’cause ambition has a bank account
that’s gotta stay full
till the millennials went online
and everyone retired their ghd’s and Sheen straighteners
bought their way back into the ghetto
replaced their Johnny Depps with Idris Elbas
and Michelle Obama Lupita Nyong’o and Grace Jones
made them women of strength
they all know a Alice Walker quote
listen to Jill Scott and support
their consciousness movements
they’re trendy
instagram feminists
they protest in their blogs
use words like booty fierce and pro-choice
they deconstruct every American TV series
and they’re nearly always dumb as shit
when they really get under my skin
I remember my ma’s words
when one of them said I wasn’t pretty
and made me cry one day
those tarts is like frogs in the rain
they hop from leaf to leaf closer and closer
to the latest bowl of kak
’cause that’s where the fattest flies hang out
—translated from the Afrikaans by Mike Dickman
from NER 38.4
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