Roy Joseph Cotton – September 11, '53 – March 10, '85

Roy commenced writing poetry during his latter school years. He read prolifically and was passionate about music and was a devote to Bob Dylan. He wrote many plays or "Musical Paintings" as he called them, and was also busy with two works "Multimythicum" and "Girlpools, Whirpools, and other gusts of Twirling Hair". He wrote from the security of a warm, close family in a comfortable Cape Town (South Africa) suburb. Yet most of his huge output of poems reflect a consuming angst. It was an angst which drove him to search for peace throughout books, music, writing, and religion, and it led to ultimate despair. His highly idiosyncratic way with language and the intense pressure of his emotional and spiritual concerns make his poetry compelling and disturbing reading. His untimely death at age of 31 cut short his promising career as a poet.

HI-JY:

ek sit hier,
the air is true,
i sit with the umbrellas
of air;

i sit here,
jy is daar,
the air is alive with
the tinted tinge
of excitement.

when i greet the stoep
the mat yells shy

when the first field
greets, the tide is rye;

when the second fire
brings me cash to my door,
send after the postman
post a little more

so that i with you
a little bit can say:
‘hi-jy hi-jy hooray’