Dark times
was it planned?

Malice aforethought
not sleight of hand.

People gather on the streets
a bottle’s thrown
petrol flares…


Shelves are cleared
bags are stuffed
snatch a shopping cart
fill it to the brim
seize a hi-fi
grapple with a fridge
snatch another shopping cart
come back for more!

Grab your phone
tell your friends
the shelves aren’t empty yet
and not a cop in sight…


We might pick up the pieces
we might mend fences
but it’s going to be
a long
road
back.

---

Written in response to Sadje‘s What do You See #91 photo prompt.

The image shows a bust of a man. A dark thick liquid is being poured on it.

Important note: this poem was written from the photo prompt. The fact that it shows a dark liquid being poured on a white figure should not be taken as a representation of the violence that has occurred here in South Africa. The victims of the violence are primarily Black African-owned small businesses whose shops have been destroyed in shopping centres and malls, and the staff who work in the big retail outlets there.