Gert Strydom Poems

Putin, a psychopath, in front of a crowd
celebrating the annexation of another country,
misquotes the Bible:
...

(for Annelize, in answer to Vanja Bašić)

Your lips: red and shiny is in my memory,
the glance that takes me into your beautiful eyes,
...

When I think about things in the city Mariupol:
I see refugees and children shot down,
more bombs loaded into Russian weapons:
a person realizes the Russians are far past mad,
...

(for Annelize)

Last-night at midnight I dreamt about you;
pretty you that keep hiding from me
...

1
I did awake in a fool's-paradise,
in which honour is totally missing,
where no truth is in the word of men,
...

On LM-radio played the saddest tune,
outside doves cooed with the whole world in peace,
with power suddenly cut I was ill at ease,
cloudy and full of fog was the afternoon.
...

I saw Putin, a colonel of the KGB,
a champion in Judo, and in Karate training,
a layer if sweat, I did on his body see:
not a care of the lives of Ukrainians remaining,
...

(for Annelize)

I have now lost everyone and everything,
have suddenly nothing and nobody
...

1
In the Ukraine Russians do civilians fight,
Putin holds three quarters of his military back:
if the world goes to war, with force to attack,
...

1
It's night when more missiles come in,
suddenly somewhere nearby explode with destruction,
the building shakes and I smell the fine dust,
...