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pre-election chatter

‘will you get land after the election?’ ‘no, only those ones on the tv’

‘but you, if you get, will you give me a job?’ . . . ‘you know me

if I come and ask, what sort of job will you give me?’ ‘a job?’ ‘yes!

Petrus what will you let me do?’ ‘look after the sheep’ it’s out before

he can stop himself images of a flock of sheep with Pa on horseback

someone in the welding workshop snorts ‘no, the baas must do

something else!’ ‘milk!’ Pa with the hardest, most physically demanding

schedule on the farm ‘rather gardening, dig and water for

the madam’ uncomfortable laughter ‘Matjama wait, you can drive. I’ll say:

you, you’ve got permission to use my car, take me on

a little trip to the Cape, the veld is so beautiful this year’ uninhibited

shouts of laughter the young ones turn cartwheels suddenly

everything stops dead Pa comes out slowly from behind the tractor shakily

one by one they come to sit in the barn driveway as

if suddenly on the edge touching the impossible – until the guinea fowl

settle in the bluegums for the night