How a list becomes a poem
'Definition' is a striking example of how a list poem can transcend mere categorisation and become a vessel for memory, emotion and subversion.
IT’S often said that nothing could be less poetic than a list. After all, we usually make lists to organise our lives — to tame the chaos and bring a sense of order. Lists, by nature, seem logical, ordinary, and practical.
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But in the hands of a skilled poet, lists can become something far more intriguing. They can reveal the strangeness that hides within the everyday. When poets turn their attention to the common objects that surround them, they often expose layers of memory, mystery, and meaning we wouldn’t normally notice.
South African poet and lecturer Nondwe Mpuma has a remarkable gift for doing just that. A passionate supporter of poetry communities in Cape Town and a lecturer at the University of the Western Cape, Mpuma made her debut with the poetry collection Peach Country (uHlanga, 2022), which has been praised for its deep sense of wonder and attentiveness to existence.
Recently, she shared a list poem from this collection that exemplifies how poetic and profound lists can become. The poem, titled Definition, initially seems to promise clarity — definitions that make things familiar. But instead, Mpuma offers meanings that are surprising, personal, and playful.
Definition
The paved road,
a path to a Wendy house accustomed to the beating of a pipe.
A chair,
a stump of an old tree in a kitchen.
A Jewel,
a stove that will outlive us all.
The beach,
a holiday I could never reach.
Sand,
carried with beach-dog oil to keep the ancestors at bay.
A gravel road,
the intimacy of a plank in the back of a van.
Smoke,
my grandfather’s red Peter Stuyvesant.
Refinery,
I could smoke you like you smoke me and together we would incinerate the world.
The annual AVBOB Poetry Competition opens for submissions on August 1. Visit www.avbobpoetry.co.za today and familiarise yourself with the competition rules.
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