Kevin Scheepers

FUMATA BIANCA - SURRENDER

Didn't earn much. But he was earnest.
In his efforts. To negotiate with a simpleton.
Still an extinguished gentleman. When it came to piercing the epidermis
Liquid cocaine. Slithered into a known vein.
While the cold blade. Slid through like an old flame.
Bullet. Fueled by propane. Not fooled by the codename.
Profound fables. Spun. At the roundtable discussions
Pie dividends. Had fatal repercussions.
Local dissidents. With shocked countenance.
Smiled widely. Watching the sanguine wound leak.
Cherubs with rosy cheeks. Cherish the cherry-picked.
Morning light garish. So downed the sherry. Very quick.
Tricked. Into a nightmarish. State of parish politics.
Panic made him sick. Don't perish. Before abolishment
Heart made of bricks. Head full of holes.
Fumata nera. There shall be no king.


Kevin's YouTube reading of "Fumata Bianca - Surrender"


Kevin confesses: "This poem was inspired by the gang culture and violence prevalent in my local community, the insidious dynamics it entails, and how it ultimately ends badly for all involved."

KEVIN SCHEEPERS is a 28-year-old man from Pretoria, South Africa. He completed an MSc in Biotechnology in 2023, but always maintained a personal interest in the written arts, particularly poetry. His work has previously been published in Audience Askew and is soon to be published in Harrow House Journal and Academy of the Heart and Mind.