

Please read and enjoy these submissions!
Remember to take note of the code (poe1-poe39) and to vote here for first place, here for second place and here for third place.
(Written after an encounter with lions, buffalo and hyena, 1km from Byamiti, making us late back to the camp)
The African sun has set in the West,
The skies are dark, the air is still,
The night creatures awake at nature’s behest,
The fish eagle and her young have gone to rest.
A herd of cumbersome buffalo migrate,
A pride of lions with their young defend
Their territory, their space, in silence, they wait,
The buffalo press on, unaware of their fate.
The bush bears witness to what happened there.
The stillness of the night is suddenly rent
By the sound of buffalo hooves that dare
To challenge the big cats’ threatening stare.
The confrontation persists with the beasts.
Neither wanting to claim ultimate defeat,
Till at last the buffalo reluctantly cease,
The panting lion finally at peace.
The buffalo continue their migration through.
The lions return to settle their young.
The bush sleeps on in a silent hue,
While the laws of nature will forever ensue.