BAREFOOT AND BRIGHT, loss, love and ancestral light

139pp., paperback, Botsotso, Johannesburg, No Date

ISBN: 9780639886756

A lyrical meditation on grief, memory and return, written after the passing of Nelson Ratau's mother.

"Ratau refuses to be held hostage by grief. Through lyrical poetry rooted in African idiom, he pours his laments onto the page, capturing the shifting emotions of mourning, especially the loss of his beloved mother. Writing becomes a path to healing, balance and closure, but also a reminder that sorrow, though delicate and often difficult to carry, must move with us through daily life. In doing so, we learn to honour both the natural and spiritual realms. This is poetry that grounds us—offering sustenance to our bereft souls." Vonani Bila, founding editor of poetry journal Timbila

"Barefoot and Bright offers a tender yet powerful glimpse into the ordinary magic of an extraordinary bond, a son’s love for his mother and the deep ache of her absence. Through memory, music, grief, and joy, Ratau gives voice to rural life and maternal love with vulnerability and grace." Moffat Sebola, Associate Professor, University of Limpopo

Nelson Ratau was born into the Maake clan and is rooted in the Pedi worldview. He teaches post-colonial and African literature at the University of Mpumalanga, and is the author of the poetry collection It Begins Here and the academic study Every Worldview is Superstitious: Refelctions on the worldview in Ben Okri's works.