At the Vaal river finches twitter
and nests hang all over the willow trees
and the fishermen
sit from dusk next to the water,
to try and catch a big one.
I see a monitor
going from the water
into the undergrowth
and hear how the rippling stream
flows over rocks at places
There’s a water beetle
that swims around and around
in a calm pool
and tadpoles that rush to and fro.
With time spent at the river
I find some tranquillity,
while the cars above at the bridge
rush by frantically.
Gert Strydom
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/at-the-vaal-river/
