Early Morning: Pretoria Poem by Gert Strydom

Early in the morning in Pretoria in the summer
it is still twilight and the streetlights,
the lights of buildings,
here and there neon-lights
and the lights of cars and busses
gleam almost like in a mirror on the road
where last night's rain still does lie wet.

Early in the morning in Pretoria in the summer
the jacaranda-trees are full of blue-purple flowers
where in rows they do fill almost every street
of that big city
and you do smell their sweet fragrance
that does hold promises of new life.

Early in the morning in Pretoria in the summer
a few children do run laughing past
where others do walk peacefully
with backpacks full of books
that does hop up and down
here and there one carries a girl's school bag
where others do hold each other's hands,
a few full of mischief do smoke.

Early in the morning in Pretoria in the summer
rows of people do catch the busses to go to work
others do drive in lines upon lines of cars
and in Park street at the art museum
there are swarm upon swarm of doves that come land
to search for something to eat
when old gentlemen and old ladies do break bread
and spread the crumbs
while a barking dog does scatter a few.

Early in the morning in Pretoria in the summer
the construction-workers stand around a drum
out of which flames do shoot up
on a premises where buildings are being torn down
to warm their hands
while the foreman runs up and down like a madman
and gigantic steel monsters
do swing their arms to and thro
others do bite the earth with massive mouths
and spit their contents out on trucks

and people do go to the government buildings
that does swallow hundreds of friendly talking people
while the restaurants cannot cope
to serve breakfast and coffee.

Early in the morning in Pretoria in the summer
the prostitutes stand in Sunnyside
in Arcadia and even in the central business district
on the corners in short and exposing clothes
like mannequins in the shops with legs apart
where they do talk with each other
look big-eyed at men and do tempt the passers-by
and Nigerian men do stand here and there
and talk with each other
while they do conspire about the next crime.

Early in the morning in Pretoria in the summer
the minibus-taxis swallow the traffic,
push cars and busses literally off the streets
and it's as if in every street in the city
they want to be a horde that do fear
that they will not catch the next pedestrian
and they do hoot while the drivers
do hang out of windows,
do whistle and scream
as if the lot of them are demon-possessed.

© Gert Strydom