Category: poetry

In Memoriam: Karen Weinberg

She made me laugh – let’s start with that
(The time she wore a witches’ hat)
Her cheeky banter full of fun
And, on my word, she loved to pun

Enthralled by British comedies
From Eddie Izzard to John Cleese
Held captive by Austen’s tease
(Young Darcy jellified her knees)

And then there was that Stephen Fry
(She’d have proposed, but she was shy)
True, he is gay, but love is blind
And she was smitten with his mind

She lived for art and loved to sing
Such colours in her offering
The shadow of Matopos stones
The glow of rusty vineyard tones

Baryshnikov upon the wall
Unfettered horses in the hall
She saw the beauty, heard its tune
She caught the light, lassoed the moon

King Singers’ a capella hums
Dusty stomps of tribal drums
Her world aloft on violin strains
Juluka flowing in her veins

Soprano voices in the air
Mama Mia’s songs of cheer
The concert halls, the silver screen
She soared the heights, touched the dream

Her head was swirled with maths and stars
Her memories stitched with faded scars
She knew the dark, yet channelled light
She felt earthbound, yet showed us flight

She long ago left creed behind
And saw all faiths as intertwined
Her wisdom caught the ebb and flow
Of New Age waves and Oprah’s show

So deeply loved, and yet alone
She found her peace, her bay view home
Her friends and loved ones scattered wide
She was the rock, we were the tide

Just like a snowflake’s crystal maze
Her beauty sparkled through our days
And just as ice must melt and flow
Back to the source – we must let go

Our daughter, teacher, friend and sister
How we loved her, how we miss her
We will not let her vision fade
Now she is gone – I wish she’d stayed

Wayne Visser © 2017

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

The year is new
Poised
And expectant:

Like a spring coiled and ready to be sprung
Or a tangled ball of wool, come undone
Like a gleaming highway slick for smooth travel
Or a dusty footpath strewn with rough gravel

Poised
And expectant
The year is new:

Like a newborn lamb unsteady on its legs
Or a stale pot of coffee brewed from the dregs
Like stepping forward, each step like the last
Or leaping the nest, escaping the past

Poised
The year is new
And expectant:

Like a see-sawing scale, about to tip
Or a teetering cliff, afraid to slip
Like a snail slid across a line in the sand
Or the long thin finger of destiny’s hand

The year is new
Poised
And expectant

Wayne Visser © 2017

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

Thirty five and still alive
Learning all over how to survive
Looking all over for my lost drive
Hoping in time again I’ll thrive

Maybe 2006 will bring a fix
A chance to learn new tricks
To find something that clicks
By the time I’m thirty six

Wayne Visser © 2017

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

A Tribute to Swellendam, South Africa

Low clouds of grey left far behind
Exchanged for open skies of blue
Black asphalt trails and dusty fields
Give way to scenes of verdant hue

Beneath the mountain’s misty brow
Beneath the oak trees’ dappled shade
A canvass for the nomad’s brush
A staging post for passing trade

Drink in the cool of whitewashed walls
Drift off to cricket symphonies
Breathe deep the scent of sun-bleached thatch
Awake to birdsong melodies

Past craggy cliffs of rusty shards
Through hidden tracks of forest greens
Refreshed by waterfall cascades
Behold the land of emerald dreams

Wayne Visser © 2017

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

A Tribute to Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

He lived among us –
This child named Rolihlahla
This boy called Nelson
This man we knew as Mandela –
And now he is gone

He shared our days –
This son of Africa, our Madiba
This father of a nation, our Tata
This guardian of humanity, our Elder –
And now he is gone

He was one of us –
This shepherd of the people
This harbinger of hope and joy
This legend of our time and place –
And now he is gone

He was our leader
Our defender, our nation’s spear
And he showed us how to fight

He was our enemy
Our nemesis, our conscience
And he showed us how to be free

He was our light
Our sun, our inspiration
And he showed us how to forgive

Yet did we ever really know him?
This lawyer who became an outlaw
This soldier who became a peacemaker
This prisoner who became a liberator

How can we fathom his depths?
This father who lost a son and wife
This comrade who lost so many friends
This martyr who lost twenty-seven years

How can we see into his heart?
This intellectual who became an activist
This statesman who became a gardener
This icon who became the world’s beloved

We remember him
For his skilful manoeuvring
Through the political maze
And even more for his love of dancing

We remember him
For his human touch
Among the powerful and the powerless
And even more for his love of children

We remember him
For his failures and foibles
That made him fallible like us
And even more for his love of justice

He lived among us –
And now it is for us to carry his torch onward
It is for us to follow his shining example
It is for us to fight for his unshakeable ideals –
Now that he is gone

He shared our days –
And now we must make the rest of our days count
We must work as he did to set others free
We must show that the spirit can triumph in the end –
Now that he is gone

He was one of us –
And now we are challenged to become one of him
We are inspired to be the best we can be
We are reminded that ‘I am because we are’ –
Now that he is gone

Nkosi Sikelel’iMandela!
We will honour his memory
By never losing faith in times of adversity
We will celebrate his life
By always daring to hope for a miracle
We will keep his legacy alive
By choosing to walk daily in his footsteps
On the path of love
Amandla! Awethu!

Wayne Visser © 2017

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

A Tribute to Madagascar

Last night I dreamed of a planet
Where more hides than can ever be seen
Where shy creatures that sing to the sunrise
Play touch-tag in a forest of green

Last night I dreamed of a highway
Dry dusty with zebus and flies
Where small children who wear rags as raiment
Play sad clowns beneath roots in the skies

Last night I dreamed of an island
Where the language unspoken is blue
Then this morning I woke to discover
That all I had dreamed of was true

Wayne Visser © 2017

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

Thirty four today
And I’m beginning to understand
How life creeps up on you
How, before you know it
Looking from the outside
You are no longer a child
Yet, knowing on the inside
You have barely been born

Thirty four today
And I’m beginning to understand
How life happens to you
How, in every moment
Gathered around the fireside
You are telling your story
Yet, even as the narrator
You don’t know the next word

Thirty four today
And I’m beginning to understand
How life is full of surprises
How, when you least expect it
In the blink of an eye
You find the scenery changed
Yet, beneath the surface
You draw from a constant stream

Thirty four today
And I’m beginning to understand
How life can hurt sometimes
How, despite the armour
When the arrows pierce
You bleed like everyone else
Yet, one breath at a time
You have the strength to carry on

Thirty four today
And I’m beginning to understand
How life is art made real
How, even as an amateur
Splashing light and colour
You can create a masterpiece
Yet, when you look up
You see that beauty is reflected

Thirty four today
And I’m beginning to understand
How life is only the stage
How, no matter what the props
In the unfolding drama
You are there to learn loving
Yet, when the curtain falls
You find love outlasts all encores

Thirty four today
And I’m beginning to understand
How life is a fragile thing
How, like a child on the beach
When the tide changes
You must let the castles wash away
Yet, if you crafted with care
You dwell forever in the heart of life

Wayne Visser © 2017

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

Tribute to Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

When giants fall –
True heroes like Mandela
And timeless muses like Angelou –
The whole earth gasps
And shudders as one;
Convulsions reverberate
Deep in our hearts
Wide in our minds
And high in our souls –
As well they should
For no quake is greater
Than when spiritual giants fall

When I fall (or you) –
Whether from a stumble, a leap
Or a gentle ebbing away –
The world will be spared
Any collective tremors or sighs;
A precious few will notice
And smile through their tears
Yet my ordinary life (or yours)
Will be no less extraordinary
For all our numbered days
Leave remarkable impressions
On the soft clay of history

Meanwhile, we rise –
Inspired to tread the causeway
Of giants, be they standing or fallen –
We rise to embrace life
And conjure our dreams
We rise to see further
And take the next vital step
We rise to lift others
And weave the web of hope
We rise to show what’s possible
Yes! Like our resilient Maya
Still, we rise. Surely, we shine

Wayne Visser © 2017

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

Once I was a boy soldier –
Now I’m shooting hoops
I’m not the generation lost
I’m bright and landing scoops

Once I was a girl servant –
Now I’m skipping ropes
I’m not the generation lost
I’m proud and full of hopes

Once I was a phantom child –
Now I’m quite a star
I’m not the generation lost
I’m strong and will go far

Once I was a nut to crack –
Now I’m acorn’s tree
I’m not the generation lost
I’m growing tall and free

Once I was a ghetto kid –
Now I’m a go-getter
I’m not the generation lost
I’m good and getting better

Wayne Visser © 2017

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

I am the crosser of borders
I am the sailor of seas
I am the cargo of smugglers
I am the hunted who flees

I travelled from cradles of violence
I travelled on paths full of grace
I travelled from terrors of nightmares
I travelled to dreams of this place

I echo your pattern of history
I foretell your future to come
I sleep in the cold of your shadow
I crave for the warmth of your sun

I do not come to make trouble
I do not come here to steal
I bring you the gift of my culture
I need but a moment to heal

I am the wilful survivor
I am the ghost of your fears
I am the triumph of spirit
I am the stain of your tears

I journeyed from harbours of safety
I journeyed on oceans unknown
I journeyed from homesteads of loving
I journeyed to new skies unflown

I wish for the same things you wish for
I share the same sadness and griefs
I strive for the life that you strive for
I don’t wish to change your beliefs

I do not come empty handed
I do not come here to take
I bring you the wealth of my talents
I need but a chance to remake

I am the story of ages
I am the angel of new
I am the bringer of changes
I am the migrant – like you

Wayne Visser © 2017

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.