You Break Every Cliché (A Reply To Octavio Paz) Poem by Gert Strydom

As I turn the magazine’s page
I see your lovely face
catching my eyes
like a morning glory opening
for the sun in a clear sapphire blue sky

and the glitter of your teeth
shines like a set of perfect pearls
and the lines beneath your dress
draws attention to your sheer beauty

and I write this poem to you
whose intelligence and character
I know from the times
that we have met
and I know that there is much more
to you, than photo perfect looks.

Far too many men view you
as just one more shallow head
and instead I know that your beauty
comes deep from your heart,
that it’s part of your soul
and that your integrity
makes you to break every cliché

and that your good humour
and sharp whit
makes you a pleasure to be with
and that you break
the frames that people set you in
by just being you.

[Reference: No More Clichés by Octavio Paz.]