Garth Dutton

Eugene Terreblanche – A Poem

My latest poem is called Eugene Terreblanche and it’s about the Afrikaner Resistance Movement leader who was killed in South Africa a couple of weeks ago. His movement had been demanding that an all- white ‘ homeland’ be set up somewhere in South Africa.

Eugene Terreblanche
© Garth Dutton, 2010

A South African
of French Huguenot descent,
Afrikaner Resistance Movement leader
Eugene Terreblanche
is dead,
killed by black workers on his farm
during a bitter pay dispute.

He believed his Afrikaner ethnic group
was specially created by God
after the Creation.
Anyone who believes they are
one of God’s  Chosen People,
or a Master Race,
or Direct Descendants of the Sun God,
and so on,
is faced with one immediate problem…
‘How do they treat everyone else?’
The answer is always the same,
‘Quite appallingly.’

Tags: adelaide, eugene terreblanche, garth dutton, poem, poet, Poetry, south africa

Kruger – A Poem

Kruger
© Garth Dutton 2004

It’s said Paul Kruger suffered
a crisis of Faith
as the game herds dwindled
and rare plants became rarer.
Players here since
the Dreamtime of Creation
were leaving the stage
one by one.
Unable to contemplate
a bare stage, an empty land,
Kruger left two legacies.
One was the great Park
that today bears his name,
the other a fear
that extinction might happen
to peoples as well.
It took Nelson Mandela
to allay that fear,
and so enable
Apartheid to be abandoned.

Tags: apartheid, garth dutton, kruger, poet, Poetry, south africa

Sonsopkom – A Poem

“Sonsopkom” is the Afrikaans word for “Dawn”. This poem is my take on sunrise.

Sonsopkom
© Garth Dutton, 2008

At the first faint light of day
Birds sing
To encourage the sun to rise.
It pays heed to them
And always does.

Tags: afrikaans, dawn, garth dutton, poem, poet, Poetry, south africa, sunrise, writer, Writing

Bloubergstrand – A Poem

This is a poem about a famous view near Cape Town, South Africa.

Bloubergstrand
© Garth Dutton, 2008

You are standing
On a beautiful white beach,
Looking out across the bay,
To Table Mountain,
Which is just far enough away
To be covered with
A light blue haze.

Tags: bloubergstrand, garth dutton, poet, Poetry, south africa

Sonsondergaan – A Poem

“Sonsondergaan” is Afrikaans for “Sunset”

Sonsondergaan
© Garth Dutton, 2008

The sun is going
Under the horizon.
We should also think
About what the sun is undergoing.
It knows it is leaving half the world
In darkness to fend for itself,
So tries to make every exit special.
In the entire history of the world
There has never been the same sunset twice.

Tags: afrikaans, garth dutton, poem, poet, Poetry, south africa, sunset