While the night stretch black over me
and in the dark sky I see countless lights
burning high,
I thank the God that made me free
...
There sometimes is really bad kind of dreams
which you want to avoid, to be waking,
when in your ears you hear your own screams,
while your body, mind and soul is aching
...
(after Elizabeth Barrett Browning)
I love you with feelings that are true and right,
as our relationship has come with Godly grace,
I do love you through every day and night,
...
In a chilling world
where man is nothing more
than a mere animal
it may be true
...
Water is my favourite drink,
At times the best thing to quench a thirst
That comes to me suddenly,
Even though it's abundantly available
...
The yellowish-red of the caracal
blended like natural camouflage
into the yellow-brown winter grass
and when it moved its head,
...
Exercising he jogs around the field,
stops, stretches, do some push-ups,
pushing with power against the scrum cart,
later running some sprints
...
From my birth South Africa is my own country
and my people can flee to an island
but my own culture and language stays holy
although this place is not safe,
...
How can I catch in a single poem
the scenery that I see in your eyes,
the light that radiates in them,
the starry look that they radiate?
...
From this city I want to flee,
to find a place of some solace,
not again I want to return,
where city lights sometimes blind people.
...
I wish to be
a man of integrity
and no other type of man can I be.
...
When little Victoria played
at the lake in Claremont Gardens
as a child long before she became queen,
did she capture a large swallowtail butterfly
...
I have to escape from the city's roaring din,
from the continuous rushing of hasty feet,
to a place of tranquillity that I do adore
where the breaking blue sea is rushing in,
...
In the days when heaven shook
and Lucifer an angel of light,
took a third
of once holy ones with him
...
(after Robert Frost)
In passing the nearby snow filled great woods
and icy lake,
the sheer loveliness caught the rider’s eye;
a halting break
...
(in answer to T.T. Cloete)
We loved each other
from the day that we met
...
Alone he watches the water ripple,
without movement
he waits with the line going in quite deep,
in a moment
...
under whose branches lions lie down
dreaming in the sun,
where baboons sometimes play,
where elephants rip off some bark
...
Gert Strydom was born in 1964 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He matriculated at Estcourt High School after which he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (B.B.A.) at Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Michigan, U.S.A.) and apart from being a poet and writer he is an accountant by profession. His predilection for poetry was stimulated by his late father who read Afrikaans poetry aloud at times, as part of his postgraduate studies at the University of South Africa. While living in Pretoria he attended the poetry writing school at the House of Afrikaans Poetry under mentorship of Prof. Ian Raper, where the other poets especially Ian Raper, Rosa Smit, Mandi Engelbrecht, André (Francois) Viljoen, Luchie Möller, Karlien van der Merwe had a great influence on the sharpening of his abilities. Gert Strydom was called up for compulsory national service in the South African defence force (SADF) for a period of two years during the time of the South African border / bush war and while following his profession was called up for several compulsory camps for several months as a member of the South African Citizen’s force and did partake in the National Colours Parade and in exercise Excalibur. Some of his Afrikaans poetry is displayed on the Woes web page at: http: //www.woes.co.za/bydraers/besonderhede/gert-strydom Some of his English poetry is displayed at: http: //www.poemhunter.com/gert-strydom http: //www.poetfreak.com/poet/GertStrydom http: //www.mabooki.com/authors/157_Gert_Strydom.htm PRIVACY NOTICE: Warning - any person and / or institution and / or Agent and / or Agency of any governmental structure including but not limited to the United States Federal Government also using or monitoring / using this website or any of its associated websites, you do NOT have my permission to utilize any of my profile information nor any of the content contained herein including, but not limited to my poetry, messages, comments, photos, and/or the comments made about my photos or any other " picture" art posted on my profile. You are hereby notified that you are strictly prohibited from disclosing, copying, distributing, disseminating, or taking any other action against me with regard to this profile and the contents herein. The foregoing prohibitions also apply to your employee, agent, student or any personnel under your direction or control. The contents of this profile are private and legally privileged and confidential information, and the violation of my personal privacy is punishable by law. UCC 1-103 1-308 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WITHOUT PREJUDICE © Copyright: Gert Strydom for all poems and photographs displayed on these web pages. (Under South African law copyright exists for forty years from the date of publication.) T PREJUDICE)
Invictus (A Reply To William Ernest Henley)
While the night stretch black over me
and in the dark sky I see countless lights
burning high,
I thank the God that made me free
to choose which light to follow as a guide.
In dark circumstance and whatever fate brings,
destiny and chance do not conquer
and I still rise wiser
to life and its things
and my will remains free
to decide where my words
and actions belong
whether they are right or wrong
and to no human I bend a knee
and in all things I only answer to Him
who Captain’s me.
[References: Invictus by William Ernest Henley and The Soul’s Captain by Orson F. Whitney.]
Hi, As a great admirer of England's greatest nature poet, I love this tribute. a brilliant piece of work
I've just completed an English translation of Elisabeth Eybers' poem " Circe" of which Gert Strydom did such a good free translation, and would like to share my own version which you can read under submissions.
I am trying to get in touch with Gert Strydom URGENTLY as I wish to include one of his poems (on Carnations) in a book - can anyone please help? Unless I can make contact soon the editor wants to remove it.
Hello Gert... waardering vir jouse versameling dan. Maar soos die kind soldaat wat verwaarloos deur sy regering destyds is, verloen ons dan nie ook ons taal as daar so min van jousewerk in die moedertaal is?
POETS HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON. LOVE FOR THE PEOPLE AND THEY ARE LIKE SOLDIERS IN WAR.THEY RESCUE EACH OTHER, HELP EACH OTHER AND DIE FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY.THANK YOU FOR BEING A POET.