Ode to the Shapeshifter for Ecca Vandal by Stefano Donno

 Ode to the Shapeshifter

In the sprawl of Naarm's neon veins,

you erupt—South African spark, Tamil fire,

Sri Lankan roots twisted through Melbourne's concrete pulse.

Jazz whispers in your throat, improvisation's wild swing,

then punk's DIY howl shreds the air,

fusing hip-hop's beat with soul's electric wail.

Fearless, you cruise to self-soothe,

bleed but never die, rebuild from the shatter—

Molly in the mix, a sonic alchemy

where genres collide like tectonic plates,

birthing earthquakes on stage.

Queens of the Stone Age bow, Idles roar in echo,

Prodigy pulses in your wake.

Edgy disposition, something to say,

unapologetic power wrapped in melody's grace.

You, the genre-defier, strut through the storm,

raw and rebuilt, a heroine's future etched in bass lines.

Resilience in Rhythm(Found form: Lyrics fragmented as recipe for rebellion)

Ingredients:

One part apartheid exile, simmered in late '80s flight.

Stir in jazz's freeform chaos—improvise till it swings.

Add punk's abandon, raw and unfiltered,

dash of hip-hop's defiant verse.

Fold in trip-hop's shadow, electronic hum.

Method:

Break the mold—self-titled debut, 2017 blaze.

Tour with heavyweights: Queens, Prodigy, Idles' thunder.

Release 'CRUISING TO SELF SOOTHE'—drive through the ache.

'Bleed But Never Die': rise from the cut, piece by piece.

'MOLLY' in 2025: quiet rebuild under the explosion.

Serve:

With unrelenting energy, live and fearless.

Garnish with Tamil heritage, South African grit.

Feeds a generation's hunger for the unafraid.

Echo of the EnigmaVerso libero laced with typographical breath:

E c c a

V a n d a l

struts / slashes / soars—

White Flag raised not in surrender but surge.

Battle Royal in the orbit of Sampa's great verse,

End of Time pulsing like a heartbeat unmoored.

Diasporic storm: from Lanka via Africa's scar,

to Australia's roar. Enigma wrapped in enigma,

parents' lore of stability, daughters' defiant strum.

Future Heroine:

b a n g i n g

genre-bending anthems,

vibrant / dazzling / alive.

You juggle metal's edge with R&B's curve,

queer the lines of expectation,

trauma's echo turned to triumph's yell.

In this post-transnational beat,

your voice—a sovereign poetics,

intersectional fire that won't fade