On A Visit To Cape Town (Enclosed Triplets) Poem by Gert Strydom

(After T.S. Eliot)

I was looking at the ocean, looking again,
I saw seagulls swarm under in the bay,
while standing for moments on Table Mountain,

in the air there were some tiny drops of rain
as it was quite a cloudy kind of day
with a storm that it could for days maintain,

more and more power the wind did gain,
to and thro boats and ships did sway
as if nothing, could the rising storm restrain,

a Japanese tourist did to me complain
as the wind swept his camera away
and his growing terror was quite plain.

At the Strand a moment did peace contain
until a myriad from busses came to play
in underwear and it went against my grain

when modesty some did totally disdain
and no attention I tried them to pay,
as the beach became their deafening domain,

from their whistling my ears were in pain
as some children were running relay,
while an elderly lady walked a dog on a chain

and my Pierre Cardin shirt got a stain
when a toddler with an ice-cream did stray
before her parents could control regain.

At Clifton most girls did topless tans attain
but some of them were lovely anyway,
coaxing, no modesty they did retain

and the failure of my morals was almost certain
while on my towel I did blushing lay
had a quick escape route to ascertain

as a beautiful blond did her eyes on me train,
with open eyes I did for guidance pray,
as another girl did on company bargain

and fighting her attention was in vain
as she smiling came my way,
while dumbstruck with her I did remain.

On the promenade from a working-girl I did refrain;
at Sea Point a man could go astray,
could almost any kind of pleasure obtain,

in the background was a sneaking villain
that had just come out of the subway
while rain again start falling as a curtain,

glitzy places wanted people to entertain
and a train rattled on the far-off railway
while from this kind of living few people could abstain,

to a taxi driver I did my destination explain
before catching a plane on the runway,
I was looking at the ocean, looking again…

[Reference: "Preludes" by T.S. Eliot.]