Excerpt from ‘In my Country’ -- Pitika Ntuli

[1942–current, born South Africa, migrated to England]

In my country they jail you
for what they think you think.
My uncle once said to me:
they’ll implant a microchip
in our minds
to flash our thoughts and dreams
on to a screen at John Vorster Square.
I was scared
by day I guard my tongue
by night my dreams.

Source: Ntuli, P 2011, ‘21st Medellin Poetry Festival, July 2011’, www.pitikantuli.com/site/artwork/poems/in_my_country/