Ballade Of The Crossroad Poem by Gert Strydom

(after C. M. van der Heever)

I
At the crossroad a whirlwind started,
a lightning-bolt did blue-white break the thorn tree
suddenly the devil stood right there
stroking the strings of a steel guitar.

II
Chorus:
Who wants to go closer has to sell his soul
and into dark powers is baptised as a follower
(if you want to sing perfectly or play an instrument)
even for poetry people are trapped there.

III
Not the wild things that a person would expect,
the song was so tranquil and soft
and so beautiful while he played there
that any person does yearn for more

IV
and there was something special to the sound,
some notes were short and others long
as if the steel guitar did get a life of its own
and in the distance the dogs did howl sadly

V
but enchanted the devil did dance right there
burning fiery lines on the tar and ground
and when he sang the loveliest song
came perfectly from his mouth

VI
but when silence did suddenly come,
a German car stopped in the middle of the crossroad
where someone in his own blood did sign an agreement
and with the music that he could suddenly make he was astonished

VII
but every Christian person has to guard against that place,
do have to protect him or her against this monster
as just from the hand of God does real art come
and with the devil nobody has any control.

[Reference:"Outa Hans" (Old black-man Hans)by C. M. van der Heever.]

© Gert Strydom