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"Touch" attempts to capture the poet's emotions when he spent seven years as a political prisoner in
Pretoria Central Prison. During that time, he longed for the emotion of physical affection but all he
received was the brutality of being assaulted by the prison wardens who not only beat him physically but
also groped him continually each day, supposedly searching his body for concealed objects.
ABOUT THE POET
Hugh Lewin grew up during South Africa's apartheid years. Upon leaving school, he became a journalist,
working for Pietermaritzburg's Natal Witness, Drum and Golden City Post.
His observation of the repressive South African regime eventually became too much for him and he
resorted to fighting vehemently to bring about its downfall. In 1965 he was sentenced to seven years
imprisonment for sabotage. The poem "Touch" is an attempt to capture his feelings during those horrific
years in gaol.
Upon being released from prison in 1971, Lewin chose to leave the country on what was known as a
"permanent departure permit". In other words, he could never return to the place of his birth. He would
spend ten years in exile in London, followed by a further ten years in Zimbabwe.
He returned to South Africa in 1992 upon the cessation of the apartheid system and thereupon became
the Director of the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism in Johannesburg. Today he is a
freelance media trainer.
Lewin has written several books and poems, and he has been the recipient of several literary awards.
The poet says the following of this poem: "It's very emotional because the poem reminds me of so many
aspects of what it was like being in prison: the violence, cruelty and brutality. Reading it remains an
intense experience for me because the memories it evokes are still very strong."
"Prison remains a touchstone for me," he says, "and is still very much part of my life, even though I was
released in 1971. I still refer back to the experience, whether I want to or not. It was a terribly cataclysmic
but important part of my life."
Lewin wishes that readers of this poem would arrive at a deeper understanding of their own emotions and
the world in which they live, as well as an appreciation for the power of poetry, and how useful and
important it can be when it comes to describing emotions and feelings.
"If the poem also helps them to appreciate what was happening in this country before they were born,"
he says, "and the sacrifices made in the run up to the 1994 elections, I'd be very pleased."
"Of course, it would also be great," he added, "if the poem encourages students to write poems
themselves and to explore the role of literature in society."
Note: Excerpts from an interview of the poet are taken from:
The English Experience
Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer
the following questions:
"Two: paws
The first four years of paws
every day
patting paws, searching
- arms up, shoes off
legs apart."
- What is meant by "paws"? (2)
[Need help?]
"Paws" refers to the prison warders' hands.
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- Why does the poet call them "paws"? (4)
[Need help?]
The term "paws" usually refers to the "hands" of animals or apes. The poet, by using this term, is being
disparaging, referring to the prison warders as nothing more than a bunch of apes. They are inhuman.
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- What are the "paws" doing? (4)
[Need help?]
Ostensibly the "paws" are searching the prisoners for concealed weapons or perhaps tools which the
prisoners might later use to break out of their cells or hurt their fellow prisoners. It is possible, however,
that some of the warders are committing acts of sexual assault on the prisoners by feeling their genital
regions.
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- If the prisoners were in gaol for seven years, why did the feeling and patting down only last for four
years? (2)
[Need help?]
It is probable that, after four years, a degree of mutual trust had built up between prisoners and warders
which meant that the prisoners no longer needed to be searched.
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"prodding paws, systematic
heavy, indifferent
probing away
all privacy."
- Contrast the words "prodding", "systematic", "heavy", "indifferent". (6)
[Need help?]
The warders were very thorough in their search ("systematic") but they were not in any way gentle
("prodding" and "heavy"). Indeed, it is quite possible that the more sadistic of the warders were out to
inflict pain or even sexual harassment. At the same time, there was absolutely no spirit of compassion
to their search ("indifferent").
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- What does the poet mean when he speaks of "probing away all privacy"? (4)
[Need help?]
There is a very definite sexual reference here. This was not just a search for hidden weapons or tools,
but was a means by perverted prison warders to indulge in sexual harassment. Even the prisoners'
"private parts" were not private to the warders.
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"I want to feel alive
again
I want to say
when I get out
Here I am
please touch me."
- What point is the poet making here about prison life? (4)
[Need help?]
The poet is making the point that prison sucks out the vitality from one's life. One becomes no more than
an automaton at the command of the State and its lackeys, the perverted prison warders.
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- According to the poet as expressed in this poem, is there any chance for rehabilitation for the
prisoners? Explain your reasoning. (4)
[Need help?]
No, not at all. According to the poet, prisons merely breed hatred which fester in the mind. When the
prisoner is released, therefore, he / she is most likely to revert to ways of crime.
Indeed, the poet made the following response to that very question: "If you look at the nature of criminality
and the current state of our prisons, you would probably have to concede that it is very difficult for genuine
rehabilitation to take place. Rehabilitation has to be the main aim of imprisonment but, having lived in a
place like Pretoria Central Prison, I don't believe half of the people inside are ever going to be meaningfully
rehabilitated."
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