The Last Day Of Military Leave Poem by Gert Strydom

I returned early from pass to the camp
at Natal Command in Durban
right opposite the beach,
went in to stow my kit
and on that late weekend afternoon
the camp was almost empty
with only a few guards
and probably skeleton staff running it

and I drove out on my motorbike
in civilian clothes,
parking it near a cinema,
was walking to a restaurant
to have a decent meal
when a bevy of lovely girls
walked right up to me
and offered to buy me a drink or two
as it was clear that I was in the army
as my hair was short and I was young

and there were five of them
with every single one dressed in a mini skirt
or something very sexy
and I had a cider, some of them beer, champagne,
vodka martinis and whatever they fancied
and we were rather jolly

and we talked and later walked out on the beach,
seeing the setting sun, the bright rising yellow moon
and that night was really something
but when it got romantic, there were five of them
and only one of me.