Sunday, March 28, 2010

Memories of Chobe

A perfume of trees
caresses my nostrils.
Amidst the thorns a
 baobab fills the air.
A skirtish impala
breaks through the bush
  and leaps,
while a baby scrambles quickly behind.

The smell is incredible.
The view,
divine.
I am in a land of age
that knows no age,
only sand and sun
and how to survive.

Breaking rain
soaks the earth
bringing green grass
  and smiles;
a long forgotten visitor
 to these parts.

Oh zebra, kudu
 giraffe and gnu
our telephoto eyes
will not harm you.
Beware the lion's deadly gaze.
The cheetah's leap
and leopard's fang
A constant graze of fear
   and survival.

~~~~~~~~~

Is that a wild dog I see?
It's glittering eye looking at me.
Off on a hunt
with the rest of the pack
to run down impala;
 a mid-morning snack.
~~~~~~~~~

Lazing on the river
in a mokoro boat.
Splashing at each other
when we're allowed out.

It's off to view a hippo
and maybe see a croc
Not to worry if they get to close
The polers are off like a shot.

~~~~~~~~~~

How to spell tsessebe?
-A thought that crossed my mind
With its circled bum
You can easily see
This antelope friend of mine.

~~~~~~~~~

I saw a road closed sign today.
I had to laugh, I'll have to say.
For what is a road
in this land of sand?
but two tire tracks
going from pan to pan.

*****
    These are poems that were written from the road many moons ago. The rough script in my journal can be deciphered, despite the bouncing location they were written in; high atop an overland truck, our mighty Samil. The poetry is a little weak in my opinion, but I appreciate the images that they put forth, so I thought I would add them as a continuation to my African tales. Oh, and the animal mentioned in the second to last poem was incorrect in its description, for those of you that may know. A Water Buck is the antelope with white circular markings on its behind. A tsessebe is more comparable to a North American deer. Enjoy. I wish you a safe road to travel as you wend your way through life...

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