the
plane took off in the fading light
climbing up in the clear summer night
down below, the long coastal range
dry and thirsty for cool winter rain over
the Atlantic to reach flight's end
mountains beneath the plane's descent
a landscape green and moist again
from months of windy winter rain
Cape Town suburbs soon disappeared
as the inland journey then continued
northward the dual carriage-way led
thin sliver in the landscape ahead
wide plains and mountains to Piketberg
in natural settings flowers appeared
before Clanwilliam a beautiful pass
groomed in pincushion and fynbos
clean,
clear air above Lamberts Bay
crashing on wild shores, Atlantic waves
an
extravaganza of plants everywhere
flowers on the beach here and there
north to Namaqualand with little traffic
slow unhurried time to view
and visit
mountains boldly beautiful centre stage
wide fields of flowers
that amazed
a garden of splendour of such variety
no man could engineer
in a century
the range and extent of its display
renewed a sense of awe
every day
some habitat displaced by farming
must have been beyond
imagining
a sense of thanks at journey end
to have seen the flowers of
this land
about this region there is a saying
one cries twice whenever
visiting
once when arriving, then on leaving
heartfelt wonder to
evoke such feeling |
