Van Hunks and the DevilA Poem by Mark Hurlin SheltonVan Hunks and the Devil,by Mark Hurlin -Shelton Cape Town 2014Old captain Van Hunks He had sailed the seven seas And returning home retired At the fair Cape of Good Hope He was a contented man Often out in nature and was pleased To take out his pipe and enjoy a hearty smoke For to puff upon a pipe Of few pleasures was he fonder And aside from this he dearly loved to wander On a fine day upon the mountainside And as he climbed he'd rest a while And take in the pleasing view Of table bay stretched out wide o'er many a mile And there was nothing better to do Than sit contentedly and have a puff Take in the view and smile Higher and higher Up the sunny slope he climbed Clambering through the fynbos All in flower Delighted in the sunshine and fresh air Pushing on and up-he strode for many an hour His mind at peace and without care In his stride, ambitious He decided not to stop Till he had ascended Devils Peak Up to it's very top. And when he reached the summit He was well pleased For like a glimmering sapphire Was spread the blue of Table Bay And such a view indeed inspired Old Van Hunks on that fine day To rest in the shade beneath a tree And to thank the good Lord For all things good That life had brought his way Yes he stopped a while to pray Then taking out his pouch of favourite "twak" And loading up his pipe of old oak wood And lighting it did suck and puff Upon it as an old sea captain should And clouds of smoke went up all around Yes indeed there was more than smoke enough to go around. It was peaceful and so silent Up upon the windy burg No sound to hear save a mild wind a blowing. Perhaps the chirping of a happy bird Happy like Van Hunks- his heart a glowing Who sat and gazed for hours How long he had no way of knowing, And just when he had the thought of heading home He was stirred by a sudden sound of footsteps And was dismayed to think that he was not alone And he turned to look around A smiling man in black was dressed Who grinned from ear to ear "Good day Van Hunks, I am glad and blessed This day to meet you here" The stranger he was quite well dressed His beard was trimmed and neat One would be most impressed To meet such a fellow on the street Captain Van Hunks was not sure quite what to say For he was indeed surprised To meet with company up on that peak He looked the stranger in the eye Hesitating to speak For how could it be It seemed so strange How did this fellow know his name ?! Van Hunks had no desire to be rude Although he had hiked up here For solitude So he decided that to be polite was best "Well good to meet you too!"-he beamed And shook hands with his guest But however sir, did you know my name ? For your face I do not recall I don't believe we have met But all the same Please do join me for a while "Oh you don't know me Yet I know you well Van Hunks you are famous- Don't you know?! And most of all you are famous for Those great clouds of smoke you blow. I like a puff myself said he Taking out a great tobacco sack Filled with a great quantity Of good quality aromatic twak Said the stranger: "Well then let's see Who can smoke the most What's the wager Hunks? Its just you and me I have heard it said you boast And that no man can blow more smoke than you On fairest Cape Town's coast !" And just then the fellows hat fell off And Van Hunks could plainly see A pair of horns upon his head Revealing his true identity "I will wager you your soul, Van Hunks- Said the Devil free from shame And if I lose I will do your bidding Pleased to meet you- won't you guess my name ?! For if you win- here are the keys That will lock me safe away So let us smoke and let us see Who is winner for the day But if you lose -my friend Well then you will surely pay That your God helps you this time For if you lose this wager Then your soul will be all mine ! I am very sure that you don't joke Said Van Hunks with a grin I 'll wage you that I'll make a cloud of smoke Even bigger than your sin The wagers on you devil And. You have no God to whom to pray Let us smoke and may The best man win today So without more ado Began the two One two three on marks set go Van Hunks his start was slow For it was no easy thing to strike his match As a strong wind began to blow But soon his loaded pipe was lit The old captain steadily puffed on it Exhaling much smoke - a tremendous cloud The devil saw and he avowed To beat Van Hunks at their smoking game He tried to cheat And by deceit he produced a devilish magic flame But an angel of the wind He blew it out And the Devil had to light his pipe again They huffed and puffed with pipes full stuffed The devil summoned every power of deceit But however hard he puffed twas not enough It was not sufficient to match and meet Van Hunks's splendid smoky cloud The captain grinned at the Prince of sin And laughed with a triumphant snigger For the captains smoke was great and proud And clearly far the bigger. And the devil fell down to his knees For clearly he had lost the bet And Van Hunks seized the keys That would lock him soundly in his evil pit- You will do my bidding now ,the captain said, Since you have lost this bet And you have not gained my soul but instead For the loser is you, the sinner, For this day you will long regret For I have emerged the winner. Are your lungs not the temple of God ? Said the devil with a mischievous Grin That you pollute with endless smoke This is indeed a sin, So although I have not won your soul- On that count you've won this time- Yet I have won your tar-black lungs- Your lungs they are all mine, So never make a deal or bet with the devil, For indeed you can never really win, For he is master of all trickery, He is no amateur when it comes to sin. And whenever the South Easter blows And the table-cloth comes rolling oe'r Tafelberg, Then parents tell their children Come see ! Don't you know, the reason for this sight That Van Hunks and the Devil Are up on the mountain Making clouds a- puffing on their pipes ! © 2019 Mark Hurlin Shelton |
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Added on September 24, 2019 Last Updated on September 24, 2019 AuthorMark Hurlin SheltonCape Town, Western Cape, South AfricaAboutI am from Cape Town, South Africa i am a poet, singer, songwriter, Juggler, Clown, magician and Balloon artist. I have written hundreds of poems since I was quite young. more..Writing
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