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Oh, Shame~ By Natisha Parsons

10/12/2016

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What’s a shame and what is not you’ll never quite discern.
We South Africans say, “Shame” no matter what we learn.


“Eish!(8) Elsie Botha has a daughter.
”Oh,
no-o-o! Shame! What is her name?
En Miemps en Wiellie hulle trou
(
9) Jisslaik (10)! Shame, that’s good to know.

Ag shame, my gra’ma passed away
roun’ midnight, Gramps did sadly say.

Gran left her big-big bucks to Roy,
her
dronklap (11), won’t-work mummy’s-boy
Agh, shame, it isn’t one bit funny!
He’s ginne (
12) drink up all that money!

That oke (13) nex’ door acts like a larney
(
14)... He an’ his missus had a barney!
Bliksem! Donner (15)! Shame, ou pal,
Curse and yell just raising hell.

I tell you, chum, a nasty scandal.
Shame, being a larney’s hard to handle.


More skinner (16), let me pass it on:
Ooh, shame, the cops found Mikey’s farm!
What looks like mealies from the road,
Hides dagga (
17) that he sells per load!
Wifey’s lingo! Whoo-oo, hoo-oo, hoo-oo-oo!
My frien’, their neighbours all turned blue.
Agh, shame, it isn’t one bit funny!
To ruin lives to make your money!


Another lekker (18), dainty bite:
they raided Sienna’s
shabs (19) last night.
an’ shame, the cops took all their booze,


Footnotes:
(8) An exclamation (aysh)
(9) And Miemps and Willie are getting married
(10) Gee whizz! Exclamation.
(11) Drunkard
(12) Gonna; going to
(13) Bloke or guy
(14) Lah-di-dah person
(15) Exclamations of fervour in the face of the excitement 16 Gossip; scandal
(17) marijuana
(18) Nice; choice
(19) 
Shebeen – a house where liquor is sold illegally 


Author Bio:
Natisha Parsons started writing when she was a little girl, tutored by her ex-teacher mother. She in turn tutored her siblings who came after. Her first publication was a story about a class hike up Mount Currie Mountain, Kokstad, when she was at high school there. She sent it to the children’s club, Uncle Bill – Sunday Tribune (Durban) – when she was fourteen years old. That motivated her to become a writer one day.
Her writing has a Christian worldview; she has a passion for her country and its people, and is interested in her culture-grounded bi-racial roots: European (British and German) and isiXhosa. She, however, follows the general South African Bible-based Christian-style culture. 

She became a school teacher and is now retired. She likes to say that when she was young and foolish she taught school; now she’s older and wiser, she lives a laid back life, writing and reading. Most of her books are of a spiritual nature: beginner books for young Christians (non-fiction). She has a few published short stories and a poem.
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