Cabo Girao

Gonçalves Zarco, thinking he had reached
the western limit of this coast and world,
turned back towards Funchal, naming the place
Cape Turnaround - and, when a second voyage
revealed his error, let the name remain.
Beneath the eucalyptus, every flower's
a candidate for CITES listing. Lizards
cling to the cliff, indifferent to the facts.
A falcon pauses, measuring the distance.
The tourist guide ushers her charges back
towards the coach. The lady from Dumfries
is unimpressed - the second highest sea-
cliff in the world doesn't look like much
from where she's standing. Captain Zarco might
have felt his judgement vindicated - After all,
a Viewing Point is only a point of view.