Collision

"Icarus" by Tristan Barnard

I present to you a question
you must choose to be one of two
either a ship or an iceberg
whichever do you find more true?

Be carefully crafted by man
to perform his chosen function
or a testament to nature
her love free from man’s corruption

Have a heated heart locked away
only to smoke your burnt funnel
or cold at first till warm embrace melt your core into a puddle

Appear mighty above water
though barnacles rot you below
or unsuspecting and simple
yet ninety percent deep we know

Ever common and bottlenecked
even stuck in the Suez Canal
or becoming a rarity
both in presence and in morale

Whichever you so choose to be
remember what history tell
a collision among these two
for the poor ship did not end well

Lourens van Niekerk

BSc Mathematics Honours,
STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY

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