Opinion

An ode to James Matthews

Letter to the Editor|Published

David Kapp, Belthorn Estate

He was a (school) dropout

one of those

a casualty a statistic

collateral damage

in a system

He was a school dropout

jokes an academic type

interviewed on SAfm radio's

Jet Set Breakfast Show

an academic type

a learned fellow

educated is he

(with papers to prove)

He was a school dropout

though our James Matthews

didn't drop out or cop out

our James Matthews

local and grounded

you'd see him walking

just up your street

local and grounded

educated and schooled

with a world view

and a view of the world

He was a school dropout

though he'd not have wanted

anyone then or today

to follow that example

falling in love did he

with reading with books

with writing with libraries

with transforming our world

How many follow

that example