totally zef

I realize that reaching out to a group as bizarre as Die Antwoord for an analogy is a bit risky, but I've been writing for about 6 hours today, so it feels right.  "Zef" is a term used to describe the South African counterculture, and the way that one rapper from DA puts it is, "Zef is you're poor but you're fancy."

Segue.

I've been writing about Zephaniah for those aforementioned 6 hours today, and I it's bugging out my brain.  The first two-thirds are terrifying on several levels: God seems angry, God seems angry at everyone, and preaching about God being angry is, well, not fun.  The last part of Zephaniah sings in 3 part harmony like some bearded dudes from Seattle, it's all pretty and nice.  But that almost makes it harder to reconcile what's happening in the first movements of the book.

Those of you that have stumbled on here because this was tagged "Zephaniah" expecting to find some linguistic and literary gold nuggets, apologies ahead of time.  I too love those nuggets, but I find myself increasingly out of time which results in dusting off the old Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia feeling like when I stuff too much crap in my recycling container (if you're reading this from South Carolina, a recycling container is a lot like a garbage can, only different).

But I digress.

Now that I've popped my head up for air after furiously working to get something, anything on paper, I think part of what Zephaniah is saying to me is, you're totally zef.  You're poor, but you're fancy. You have absolutely no business coming to the feast, but we've got a seat with your name on it. Your fanciness has nothing to do with you, it's just for some reason the King is in love with you. He sometimes just sits and thinks about you and doesn't say anything.

Which I find to be...unbelievable.  Not in the sense of, "wow that is like, so cool and unbelievable." More like, I honestly don't know if I've ever conceived of God in this way, and it's pretty difficult to start.

Yes it's Lent, and I'm starting to really feel the poverty side of my zefness—which is good!  But how strange that Zephaniah has no problem giving me Lent and Easter in one breath.  No problem saying, you're poor but you're fancy.  You're more of a disaster than you'll ever realize, but put on this coat and come to the King's party.

Ok then.