It was the

visitorial garb
of the
conferencing academic
tweed jacket
tourist map
left pocket

knitted tie
snappy trousers

that stood out from
the mid-day
marketplace crowd

It was the

sheen
on the
foot-long machete
an inch
from my
breastbone
the polite request
of the knife-holding
young man

Be still Big Boss

It was the

soft hold
on my shoulders
of his
two assistants
their finesse in
removing
a watch
from the
right wrist
and a
travel bag
from my back

That made the Johannesburg mugging adventure experience
a highlight of my South Africa sojourn