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Thirsty eyes scan cloudless sky for water want
So much will die
In hazy heat a distant sound as windless mill
Sucks empty ground
Where once tall trees gave rain clouds birth
Great thunderheads that drenched the earth
that raised the branches giving shade
to man who sawed and hacked and cut whilst
making fire, a chair and hut
To clear the view that blurred his sight
for what he calls his given right
Whilst overhead in circles sweep a vulture
watching mankind weep
For what is lost and gone for good
Majestic trees that gave us wood
that fed the clouds that gave us rain
can never ever rise again
For this alone mankind must cry as dying eyes
scan cloudless sky

(Written by someone very, very close to me)

This is not my own writing!!! But i thought it fitting to share it with you!!! Unknown poet. But so true words.



When you have acquired the taste for dust,
The scent of our first rain
You’re hooked on Africa for life
And you will not be right again
Until you can watch the setting moon
And hear the Jackals bark
And know they are around you waiting in the dark
When you long to see the elephants,
Or to hear the coucals song
When the moonrise sets your blood on fire
You have been away too long.
It is time to cut the traces loose
And let your heart go free
Beyond that for the horizon,
Where your spirit yearns to be
For Africa infects the soul
And sets ones senses free
It’s special gifts-sight, sound and smell
Pervade incessantly
For in this world of chaos
Where hatred rules supreme
My Heart turns again to Africa
And I relive my dream

A Kalahari day.

When the first bird sends its song to travel across the beautiful landscape
And the sun starts to peek over the red dune...you have to be ready for a day filled with surprises...
When lions yawn and cheetahs stretch there is a lot of action waiting...
The landscape tells a story after a night filled with activities...Deep gashes in the sand where the lion had marked its territory...and subtle markings where the leopard had stalked its prey...
A leaf filled with dew drops-waits for a little shrew to quench its thirst...
Only bits and pieces are left of the rodent that fell into the mighty talons of the eagle owl...now resting peacefully high in the Camel torn tree...
The well camouflaged puff adder basks in the morning sun with no fear except for the great secretary bird that spreads its wings and scans the red sand for a morning snack...
Some may not see the sun set again...
And just remember that each day in the Kalahari has a birth and death of its own and therefore no two days are ever the same...

With heavy hearts, we as a SANParks community, have lost a great friend this week. As with some things emotional, it inspires poetic thoughts in some, and so I wrote this the other night. I'm afraid it is not a great piece, but the message was written from the heart.


DUKE
An ode by Mother Africa


Oh tusker, great tusker, I knew you so well.
When your mother’s great breasts were
Beginning to swell…and inside, you dwelt,
So safe and so warm, awaiting the long drop
To sweet grass; a legend was born.

Oh tusker, great tusker
You grew up so bold
Your clan you did claim,
The stories were told.
The humans enthralled with your poise and grace.
Impressions you’ve made on the whole human race.

Oh Duke, Great Duke
That’s the name you’ve been crowned
By man, who has chosen that you be renowned.
And now that you sleep, fast at my feet.
My tears fall like rain.
Mother Africa weeps.
Fair thee well Great Tusker…sleep...peaceful sleep.

A fight that has to be won!!!

No mercy for the aching, no humanity for living and no respect for nature.
A greed for money that rules your life. The word never doesn’t have an effect, but soon it will because never will any of us see another free rhino grazing peacefully…and never is a long time.
The damages permanent and the pictures unforgettable .
When the rifle sound travels across the landscape another life has been taken…Some rhinos are left blind in paradise in the blackness of the night.
The Amazing animal that leaves a flower shaped track is seen less and less, but the pain inflicted on it is seen more. The rhinos have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
Poaching is being countered but we have to place our bets in life and help the animals in desperate need. No keratin is worth the life of an innocent animal.
Keratin is just a thing, a Rhino is a Living, breathing animal…
What is worth more to you??

Thanks WD. Duke was an Icon for SANParks and for all nature reserves. A chance to live a long and natural life un harassed by man and our modern world.
I wrote this one a while ago, and although the river that was the inspiration is local, I think the sentiment is universal, and perhaps something to think about, next time you are by a babbling stream.




A Gift to the River



I stepped down from the sandy bank,
Left foot prints into water soaked mud.
Water swirling, river churning
Swept my mark down water’s course
To disappear into sunlight’s glistening passage.

And this I thought; so this is life.
The print was there and it was mine
But with the water’s twist and time
Became the river flowing on… and gone.

And in my rage I stopped to wonder
Was this footprint mine at all.
Or did I always intend
To give it to the river.

Yes MM...It seems emotions are the fuel that drives a poet's mind
At the risk of re-posting (I'm not sure if I've put this one up before) I wrote one that deals with that very subject, and perhaps it is timely to post it here again. These are our colorful emotions.


Our Colorful Emotions

Can you see the colors that are rolling in my mind?
The red for when I’m angry,
The blue for when I’m kind.
That yellow one’s forgiveness, it is seldom ever used.
It brings about the redness.
Overshadowing the blue.

And sometimes green’s the color that is roaming in my head.
The green is color envy.
Wanting something else instead.
The purple one is pain of flesh; I’ve seen him many times.
This color seems to rule the rest.
Controlling all their kinds.

Can you see the colors that are rolling in my mind?
If you could you’d see them all
A rainbow you would find.
These colors that I speak of are of everybody’s hue.
The trick is keeping red away
To let the blue shine through.

Lockie,
let me think..

let me understand love,
let me think

at any point in time?

who is knocking at my door?

I think emotion,
I feel red..

but

I want to know,
really know,
where are you?

and who are you?

and then,
once I know,
there is magic.

What I cannot say to my brother!!!


You shout and I cannot hear
all that noise
blocks the love.

You talk and I cannot listen
your control is all that matters.

I talk and you do not listen
I speak and you do not hear
I am invisible
And now I don't care!

Beautiful thread!

Borgatspook where do u get such beautiful words from which really touch me deep within.

This is how I feel.

Loneliness

I'm sitting here alone,
In this empty room,
Which keeps on getting emptier.
The only light from the street is shining.
And then a loud call for help.
and everything turns black.

I'm sitting here alone
In this small room
It keeps getting smaller.

I try thinking of something or someone,
But nothing comes to my head,
I'm alone....

I'm sitting here alone in this dark room,
It keeps on getting darker,
Nobody is home
I feel so alone.

I go out on the street,
I stand alone,
I see the long street,
It keeps on getting longer,
It's a dead street,
Which keeps on dying.
A silent street and a lonely one.

Nothing surrounds me,
No sound, no smell, no sight.
Nothing.......

A world once filled with hate and death,
Now gone.
It's gone and it's left me alone.
Me and my loneliness.

Now gather round children. That's right ...Spookie, WD...yes MM you're over here...that's right...come on in jj and Rakesh, Dotty and Deebs...oh here is WD...yes come in everyone! Now pick a comfy spot. Do you all have your hot chocolate? Good! It's time for a Christmas story. Shall we begin?


Long, long ago in a veldt upon the great plain there was a very wise and old beast. His flowing mane was thick with age and colored with the silver of wisdom…and he was sad. He roamed the vastness of the veldt and all in his path were in awe. His power and might were legend, and his foes were few, and yet…he was sad.
One day when the sun was laying down for her much needed sleep, and the night was beginning to wake, the Mother came to the beast and asked “Why are you so sad Lord Lion, for I have made you king of all the beasts in your world?”
And Lord Lion looked up to the Mother and said, “Mother. You have made me strong so I may defeat my enemies. You have given me eyes that see in the night and strength to hunt and kill and eat. Wherever I go your creatures bow to me, but none will lay down with me.”
At this Lord Lion looked up to the night’s shining light and with a mighty roar let loose a single great tear. The Mother seeing this felt sadness for Lord Lion and swept up that single tear and flung it to the heavens saying, “Let this tear be a star and this day be a symbol that no man, nor beast, may be sad this night.”
At this the clouded sky did clear and all the stars in the heavens did shine down upon the veldt. Long grasses turned golden and all manner of beasts arrived to join Lord Lion, in love and with no fear, and all were in awe of the Mother who gives all life.
And together with all the beasts Lord Lion felt his heart soften and knew this special time would come again, one special night when all would be safe, and could lie down together.
Tonight, look up to the heavens. Gather your loved ones near and think of Lord Lion, a star, and a tear.

A Politically Correct Santa?

'Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck...
How to live in a world that's politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to "Elves",
"Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves.
And work conditions at the North Pole,
Were alleged by the union to stifle the soul.

Four reindeer had vanished, without much propriety,
Released to the wilds by the Humane Society.
And Equal Employment had made it quite clear,
That Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
Were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!

The runners had been removed from his sleigh;
The ruts were termed dangerous by the E.P.A.
And people had started to call for the cops,
When they heard sled noises on their roof-tops.
Second-hand smoke from his pipe...had his workers quite frightened.
His fur trimmed red suit was called "Unenlightened."

And to show you the strangeness of life's ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing for unauthorized use of his nose,
And had gone on Geraldo, in front of the nation,
Demanding millions in over-due compensation.

So, half of the reindeer were gone; and his wife,
Who suddenly said she'd enough of this life,
Joined a self-help group, packed, and left in a whiz,
Demanding from now on her title was Ms.

And as for the gifts, why, he'd ne'er had a notion,
That making a choice could cause so much commotion.
Nothing of leather, nothing of fur,
Which meant nothing for him. And nothing for her.
Nothing that might be construed to pollute.
Nothing to aim. Nothing to shoot.
Nothing that clamoured or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls. Or just for the boys.
Nothing that claimed to be gender specific.
Nothing that's warlike or non-pacific.

No candy or sweets...they were bad for the tooth.
Nothing that seemed to embellish a truth.
And fairy tales, while not yet forbidden,
Were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden.
For they raised the hackles of those psychological,
Who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.

No baseball, no football...someone could get hurt;
Besides, playing sports exposed kids to dirt.
Dolls were said to be sexist, and should be passe;
And Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.

So Santa just stood there, disheveled, perplexed;
He just could not figure out what to do next.
He tried to be merry, tried to be gay,
But you've got to be careful with that word today.
His sack was quite empty, limp to the ground;
Nothing fully acceptable was to be found.

Something special was needed, a gift that he might,
Give to all without angering the left or the right.
A gift that would satisfy, with no indecision,
Each group of people, every religion;
Every ethnicity, every hue,
Everyone, everywhere...even you.
So here is that gift, it's price beyond worth...
"May you and your loved ones enjoy peace on Earth"

Author unknown

Such talent on this thread, it is such a pleasure to read. Thanks everyone!

I'm not really one who writes poetry, but, an experience I had in Kruger earlier this month, brought these thoughts to mind;

LIFE AND DEATH: A STORY UNFOLDS: (A zebra foal unborn)

I have never seen the light,
nor taken my first breath;
Yet I live with a beating heart,
waiting for life or death.

My day passes in a rhythm,
without surprise or fear;
For the one who gives me life,
is strong, and oh so dear.

My comfort is illusion,
as I am soon to learn the truth;
For night brings on a sign
of pending dread as proof.

Silently they come -
the stalkers of the night;
Proud majestic warriors
that move with stealth and might.

I feel the beating pulse -
so fast I cannot breathe;
The sound of thundering hooves,
We're about to take our leave.

With a thud, we hit the ground
in a cloud of dust and earth;
The majestic kings have won this round-
I shall never see my birth.

I could not have known
of my impending end,
Life to me, a future adventure,
never to defend.

The majestic kings will keep stalking
like warriors through the night;
And the mighty zebra will face death again,
before the dawn's grey light.

Yet life goes on,
as though nought went wrong;
And the golden bird will continue
to sing it's melodious song.

The sounds of summer in south africa

On a hot summer's day
on the beautiful african bushveld
the cicada's background noise
make it feel hotter than it really is
and a grey-headed bush shrike plays
hide and seek with you

A red chested cuckoo and the burchell coucal
sing of the rain to come
whilst in the rainstorm the frogs bursts out
in their joyous grateful song
with the rumbling thunder as their beat

just as you light the braaifire
you catch a glimpse of an orange tail
as a paradise flycatcher flies past to his cupful of nest

Somewhere in the not too far away
in their gorgeous turquoise attire
a woodland kingfisher and his friend
is practicing for the Christmas Choir

I MAY JUST UNDERSTAND
======================
Never did I have to walk
in the shoes you're walking now
Never did I have to follow
the road that's only brought you sorrow

That road has YOUR name on it
another one has mine
each one unique and powerful
and has to be completely covered over time

Your road is strewn with stones and rocks so sharp
thorns are growing everywhere
no shade from the burning sun, no wells of water
when you have to walk along with your feet bare

Its easy for people to say
you must walk out and away from it all
easy to throw more rocks
that only make you stumble again and fall

when sometimes a brilliant starry night
may seem to you the darkest one so far
and even when faithful friends pop in
they do not see that fresh and painful scar

Lonely, afflicted, tormented
you simply have to carry on
have to walk your road alone
and loneliness is hell on earth, or am I wrong?

In all I've tried to sketch with word to now
I'm trying hard to give you a message here:
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
and that comes from a heart sincere

I could not write what I have written now
if I did not have to walk a road like you through to the end
but I did triumph finally and I can now
put my hand in yours and be your friend

So please take my hand
because I may just understand...