e

KLEINMOND – In the cozy and inviting ambience of the Kleinmond Central Cafe, an eclectic mix of people gathered last Saturday afternoon for the launch of Frank Meintjies’ debut poetry collection, A Place to Night In.

Among the attendees were a 90-year old diplomat, an elderly lady deeply rooted in Kleinmond’s history, young women with lip studs seeking a reprieve from the mun-dane through poetry, and curious individuals bringing along friends to showcase the Kogelberg lifestyle. Old varsity buddies, vividly recalling a shared experience that left an indelible mark on them all, added to the colorful tapestry, reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s anthem for social critique, “The Times They Are a-Changin’.”

I must admit, I did not expect such a large turnout, with people traveling from far and wide to attend the Kleinmond event. However, Frank’s biography on the last page of his book about his wide acclaim and reach, having been featured in publications like the Sol Plaatje European Union Anthology, Botsotso Literary Journal, Ons Klyntji, and Absolute Africa, enlightened me. His poems are also included in the Grade 12 textbook, Landscape of Poems, and the Grade 11 textbook, Vistas of Poems. Frank is further featured in the book Twelve + One Joburg Poets: Their Artistic Lives and Poetry.

Prof. David Medalie of the University of Pretoria, acknowledged by the poet for his astute supervision of Frank’s doctoral thesis that led to the collection, con-firms on the book’s back cover that the experiences described are intensely personal, yet suffused with a history of displacement, uprootedness, and the search for a home.

A visiting literary teacher and reviewer, Ronel Smit, said: He paints as on canvas, often wording his thoughts in the idiom of the Visual arts. Protest poetry is hijacked by love; gentle eyes internalising names, features, movement; multisensory observation asking questions diluted in philosophy.

The page narrates his per-sonal history, emotions, actions and interactions; his pervading Christian faith and family affections; hallowed landscapes and lived-in structures.

He interrogates and laments yet always wrapping his out-rage as “gems” in “the tear-off of a tattered flag”. 

Krige Visser opened the discussion by asking Frank, “What are the sources for your lines of thought?” Frank’s answer summarised: There are three: living on the edge, the cosmos (as illustrated on the cover of his book), and the oneness of humankind; a concept Nelson Mandela used in his efforts to unify the country.

In the collection you will also find descriptions of Frank’s intriguing attempts to analyse these themes, viewing the subject through a microscope and engaging in self-cleansing. Inspired by the work of Chopra, he explained that the deeper one delves, the final result is a unifying emptiness, posing questions about true connection and the interrelation of different things. He noted that there is no real pattern, not even in his book, regarding the placement of poems.

As the conversation pro-gressed, many of Frank’s poems were read aloud, including Intrabeing, Two Marks, Bessie, and Consti-tuting Me. However, the focus gradually shifted to more somber, intense events, such as the 1985 Athlone incident, where soldiers hidden in boxes shot at children, and Rietvlei, where family land had to be given up when the Transkei became an “independent homeland republic.”

These events, though unfor-gettable, provide direction for the future. Since 1994, there has been an entangle-ment that brought people together, highlighting that our problems are internal and we are part of each other.

Moving from the past to the present, Frank shared his journey to Kleinmond and the new friendships he has formed. There is no specific reason for Frank to find himself now in Kleinmond. He knew he wanted to live close to the sea and nature. He humorously mentioned hearing about the baboons of Pringle Bay and reading about the water issues in Betty’s Bay.

A Property 24 search even-tually led him to Kleinmond, which had the right balance for him. Despite knowing no one in the area initially, he slowly built up a circle of friends, demonstrating that a home can be created without people exactly like oneself, who speak the same language. Interests such as chess, needlework, and poetry clubs can serve as connecting points.

Hopefully, the warm recep-tion Frank received at the launch will strengthen his ability to touchingly de-scribe in a few words the view from his perch, the quaintness of Poppedorp, and the legacy of what lies to the left and right. Indeed, the wordsmith has found his pencil, which once fell into the long drop at Rietvlei—a symbol of discovering his own voice and creative spirit despite numerous setbacks.