The Tokkelossie Poem by Gert Strydom

At night when the sun sets
and the dark night folds around the earth
a short man appears,
who is darker than the night
and he waits for the moon to disappear
before he slyly sneaks into places.

His hands are claws
like those of a baboon
and with his long nails
he draws sparks
out of quarts rocks
and as far as he walks,
it sounds like buck hooves trotting
and in his heart
he’s a demon.

At times the dogs see him
and bark and growl,
but far too fast he passes by,
that anybody
can really see him.

Where he strikes
there’s never another tomorrow
and his works is black like the night
and before Orion appears,
he is long gone
and the life of a woman
with him.