I attended an abstract painting workshop a year or two ago. We had to use a poem as reference to paint. I used a poem of Hester Heese with the name ‘Windgetik”. In english it will be something like ”mad about the wind”.
It is about a girl running in the wind. Laughing and enjoying it. She loves the wind so much that she wants to catch it and put it in a box. Like a gift that you can open again later. But the wind has found a way to escape.
Windgetik
Ek hardloop deur die wind
“Stuitig!” sê my ma.
Ek lag en gooi my arms op.
“Windgetik”, sê Pa.
Ek wil die wilde ooswind vang
En bêre net vir my,
Maar toe ek later na hom soek,
Het hy die wegwaaipad gekry.
– Hester Heese –
oil on canvas
ButterflyHands 
ek dink jy moet beslis meer sulke goed doen.
Ek stem saam – this is great – I love this painting – look at the trees in the wind – and the sky and the farm road with the telephone poles – where does that come from???
Cecily are you exhibiting your work anywhere? You should be.
No Stephen, must still get the courage to contact a gallery. Sure you don’t own a gallery? :-) But thank you for the nice comment.
I must find the exact words of the poem again. Can only remember it says in one line: ”die wind het klaar sy wegloop pad gekry.”
I grew up in the Northern Cape, so I know farm roads.
Cecily
Ek stem ook saam! this is absolutely you, Cecily…I love it and there is just no translation for windgetik, your painting is the perfect translation!
Ronell
If you find the poem please put it on your blog. that line is so evocative. Our local watercolour society in Somerset West has just held the selection day for a mixed media exhibition. The next time they do this I will let you know. This work would bring a breath of fresh air. Some of my fellow artists could do with a bit windgetikkigheid – heh heh.
I used to watch Manakwalanners or whatever it was called. I found it all enchanting though I am not sure what they thought of it in Sprinbok. I loved the story of the guy who explained to the magistraat hoe hy die volstruis wat voor hom gestap het geskiet het. Toe vra die M “waar het jy hom geskiet?” Toe se hy “in die middel van die – pad” S
Its up there Stephen. I remember that we as children used the word ”getik” a lot. If we thought someone was a little crazy, we said: ”Hy is getik!” I am sure my children don’t know that word. Cecily