Five weeks ago I arrived, a little unsure,
new to this city, its mountain, its shore,
but Cape Town welcomed me right from the start
ocean on one side, mountain to guard.
Table Mountain stands tall and still,
while the ocean waves move on, restless, until
somewhere between them, on this narrow land,
I’ve spent five weeks learning to understand.
I’ve watched clouds roll like a soft white sheet
over the mountain, slow and complete,
then turned to the sea, and there it would be
salt air, bright light, the endless blue free.
No other place holds both so near,
peak and tide together, calm and clear,
and the longer I stay, the more I see,
this isn’t just scenery; it found me.
Now one week is left before I must go,
but the wonder hasn’t faded; it still seems to grow,
because endings make you look twice, hold on tight,
to the mountain’s shadow, the ocean’s soft light.
So before I leave, let me stay a while more,
between the mountain and the endless shore,
Cape Town, you gave me both, side by side
the earth reaching up, the sea reaching wide.