For Those Who Fear My Verses And Do Fear Me Through Them Poem by Gert Strydom

(in answer to Breyten Breytenbach)

It's as if all words and maybe all things do lead back
to the Angel in the oven,
the Godly-son that brought salvations from the fire
who is the light to the unearthly darkness,
and when I do close my eyes it cannot lock out
His pure light from my heart and soul and thoughts
as He does not threaten even if we are menacing
and the rain that comes from His hand
brings new life and food
although sometimes thunders do roar about us
and even at times do strike us.

The pale, sunless ill people
He did not bring to that place or state
and in hospitals in Paris and worldwide
even here in dilapidated South African places
like the Far East Rand Hospital
He and His angels are still present,
to bring healing through the hands of others
to forswear the darkness and evil
and like this every one of us becomes His messengers and angels
like those three angels in the oven.

My eyes are open for your messages and to all messages
was but where my dad was in my thoughts buried on a wet rainy day
I do not want to be buried but rather to be turned to ashes
on a sunny spring or summer day
with my ashes blowing away in the wind,
to become a part of everything that does exist
of the water, the air and the earth
but also of that which do bring pain
as life is a complex thing
in which good and evil, joy and pain do exist
and from all of this
I myself cannot stand separate
as I am trying to bring truth and righteousness
to a world that is quickly loosing its discourse,
do tell about heartache, pain and misery
but also about the things that do make life great and wonderful,
try to jump out with my poems as with a Moses-staff
and like this I do want to go into my death.

Wingless I am not yet an angel
and maybe so full of darkness in the eyes of some people
never ever be one
and the feathered friends that do visit me
is but the sparrow, the wild-doves the hoopoe,
the black-collard barbet, the Indian minahs
and yellow and red weavers
and the yellow barbet with its checked wings
but with my being gone they will not even miss me
and just with the care my trees and flowers in my garden
will know that I am not present
but the Godly-son is thoroughly aware of every condition of my life and death
and those who fear my verses and do fear me through them
will be happy that they will not read a further dead word
but on a day the Godly-son will come
to awake me in another condition but still in the I and me
on His great judgement and salvation day.

[References:"bedreiging van die siekes" (threatening of those that are ill)by Breyten Breytenbach.]

© Gert Strydom