poetry | Wayne Visser

October 31, 2020October 31, 2020

African Flame

You are the first spark that kindles the fire
That nurtures our daring and restless desire
On journeys across the wilderness plain
You light up the way: our African flame

You are the red bloom that graces the tree
That rises from ash, a wonder to see
In nature resplendent, we honour your name
You burn with great beauty: our African flame

You are the fierce blaze that forges the soul
That touches the sky and makes the earth whole
Through hardship and toil, in fortune and fame
You burn with great faith: our African flame

You are the hot coal that glows in the night
That gives us the strength to stand up and fight
Deep passion’s a fire nobody can tame
You burn with great hope: our African flame

You are the warm light that keeps off the cold
That cradles our dreams and stories of old
Together in strength, diverse and the same
You burn with great love: our African flame

You are the enigma that flickers with heat
That dances with drums in sync to the beat
With colours that shine, with stars in your aim
You brighten the world: our African flame

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

This creative collection, now in its 5th edition, brings together Africa poems by Wayne Visser, including the ever popular “I Am An African”, as well as old favourites like “Women of Africa”, “I Know A Place in Africa”, “Prayer for Africa” and “African Dream”. The anthology celebrates the luminous continent and its rainbow people. The updated 5th Edition includes new poems like “Africa Untamed” and “Land of the Sun”. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

October 21, 2020October 21, 2020

Behind the Veil

To those who stand outside
Or young ones still aspiring
The mysteries of business
Are tangled myths conspiring

But for those who enter in
The veil is quickly rent
For the secrets of success
Are simply common sense:

Make a lot of friends
And always keep in touch
Try to help with problems
But never pry too much

Get to know the rules
And always show respect
Play hard but even-handed
Give as you hope to get

Set a lot of meetings
And always be on time
Talk less and listen more
But don’t become a mime

Make a lot of money
And always watch your spend
But do not get confused
Between the means and end

Get to know your talent
And always have some fun
Throw in a little passion
And get the good job done

These are the simple truths
And answers many seek
To the enigma that is business
Behind the veiled mystique

So step inside the circle
And very soon you’ll find
The common sense of commerce
Is serving humankind

Wayne Visser © 2003

Book

The Poetry of Business: A CEO’s Quest for Meaning

It was time to leave. A bitter-sweet time. The CEO felt sadness, but also contentment. The business he had conceived and birthed and nurtured was mature enough to stand on its own feet now; to live out its own life. Ironically, the way he saw it, the company was not the legacy he was leaving at all. The real value was in the way in which the business lived and breathed and kept its people engaged and passionate. That was the real gift he had given them. And that was why he was leaving behind his scruffy notebooks in the boardroom cabinet – those dog-eared, tea-stained pages on which, over the years, he had jotted down his ideas. Scrawled untidily were the lessons he had learned along the way: about how to make a business ‘fit for human beings’; about how to survive in commerce and still sleep soundly at night; about how to create a company that served society, instead of the other way around. So many thoughts … Buy the paper book.

June 6, 2020June 6, 2020

Leap of Faith

You stood at the edge and took a deep breath
A leap of faith towards a future unknown
And with that leap, you died a small death
Like an old skin shed and a new one regrown

There’s no need for fear, a leap’s just a step
Infused with firm resolve and noble intention
It’s striding out with new vigour and pep
On a path full of hope and reinvention

Faith is believing before you can see
Following the trail with no summit in view
Knowing the acorn contains an oak tree
Finding your spirit and keeping it true

You stood at the edge and took that great leap
Now life will conspire to show you the way
And the lessons you learn, the dreams you will reap
Are rewards for the actions you take every day.

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together favourite inspirational poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology takes us on a journey through the peaks and troughs of life, celebrating the indomitable human spirit.. It includes many old favourites like “Poets Must Be” and “Chasing the Blue”, as well as brand new poems like “The Writer” and “Making Ripples”. Sages through the ages wisely say: / Carpe Diem – seize the dawning day / Oh, would that I could assuage that thirst / But the day conspires to seize me first! / With the hurry and scurry / Of home’s frantic flurry / And the hustle and bustle / Of work’s tangled tussle. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

June 6, 2020June 6, 2020

This is the Place

This is the place we dreamed of
And we dreamed it into being
This is the home we talked of
And our words have turned to seeing

Each day, we see the pine and oaks
And hear the birds a-singing
Each day, we see the garden grow
And send our hopes a-winging

This is the place we’ve landed
And we’re sure to put down roots
This is home we’ve chosen
And now we’ll put out shoots

Each day, we test our limits
And reach out for the light
Each day, we spread our knowledge
And shine our colours bright

This is the place we wished for
And our wishes have come true
This is the home we share now
And our lives begin anew.

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together nature poems by Wayne Visser, celebrating the diversity, beauty and ever-changing moods of our planet. The anthology includes many old favourites like “I Think I Was a Tree Once” and “A Bug’s Life”, as well as brand new poems like “Monet’s Dream” and “The Environmentalist”. Then as we turned our faces to the moon / Our hands entwined, our hearts in sync, in tune / We felt the fingers of the silken breeze / And made our wishes on the falling leaves / A gust of wind set off a whispered sigh / Among the trees that leaned against the sky. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

June 6, 2020June 6, 2020

Garden Wise

I’m learning how to plant new seeds
To nurture sprouts and let them rise
I’m pruning back and pulling weeds
As branches sway to gentle sighs

I’m listening to the songs of birds
And watching bees and butterflies
I’m reading nature’s book of words
As seasons turn, all lives and dies

I’m resting during winter’s calm
And blooming with the springtime flowers
I’m soaking summer’s healing balm
And letting go for autumn’s hours

I’m finding secrets, tracing flows
And keeping faith while cutting ties
I’m conscious how my spirit grows
I’m slowly getting garden wise.

Book

Wishing Leaves: Favourite Nature Poems

June 6, 2020June 6, 2020

The Things We’ve Been Through

Looking back, I’m amazed
At the things we’ve been through
At each step, how we’ve blazed
A new trail made for two

How we’ve travelled up mountains
To temples and streams
Across beaches, to fountains
Through forests of dreams

All the things we’ve been through
In all kinds of foul weather
When the pandemic grew:
Isolation together!

How we’ve worked on the move
Found a beautiful home
How we’ve danced to the groove
Of the places we roam

When we fell or we flew
Nearly drowning at sea
All the things we’ve been through
Showed us what we can be

As we’ve wended our ways
How our love has stayed true
Looking back through the maze
At the things we’ve been through

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.

June 6, 2020June 6, 2020

Spirited Away

One fine day, I’ll let myself be
Spirited away, to a world yet unseen
In the grey, the mist of a dream
Where sprites play and nature nymphs stream
Amidst the spray of waterfalls and green
Forests, a ray of sunshine, a beam
Of light, a stray path in between.

One day soon, I’ll let myself go
To the moon, to the stars that glow
Like the bloom of ideas, the flow
Of a tune of memories that grow
And then swoon, like the winds blow
Across the dun and the swirling snow
Paints a plume on skies I used to know

One dark night, I’ll let myself fly
Out of sight, out of mind, with a sigh
I’ll take flight, let loose every tie
Every plight that weighs and asks why
Every fight won or lost, on a high
Of pure light, I’ll laugh and I’ll cry
With delight, I’ll be spirited away by and by

Book

String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me: Favourite Philosophical Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together philosophical poems by Wayne Visser. In this anthology, he muses on subjects ranging from space, angels and destiny to time, science and meaning in life. According to scientists / The world’s made of string / That buzzes and fuzzes / Or some such strange thing / It’s also a donut / That curls round a hole / With middles and riddles / Just like a fish bowl / And there’s no mistaking / It’s more than 3-D / With twenty or plenty / Dimensions unseen / Still others insist / It’s really a bubble / That’s popping and bopping / Through the lenses of Hubble. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

June 6, 2020June 6, 2020

Futures Bright

Days may be dark and nights be long
But soon the song will change its tune
The beat will heat the winter’s chill
Until the thrill returns to spark
And mark a sunrise, flaming red
To quench a hunger still unfed, a light
That’s set to reignite the flight
Of dreams and schemes and imaginings.

Work may be hard and stress be high
But soon the sky will change its mood
The blaze of rays will melt the clouds
Until the shrouds are memories
Upon the breeze, the blue beyond
Like ripples on a tranquil pond, a sign
Across the arc of time to rhyme
Of scars and stars and destinies.

Life may be large and love be wide
But soon the tide will change its sway
The day you make your way towards
A cause that’s calling out to you
To shift and shape, to reawake
The passion that’s inside, the need
To grow and lead, the seed
Of traits and fates and futures bright.

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

June 6, 2020June 6, 2020

Forty-Nine

Another drop in life’s great sea
Another drop that ripples free
Into the ocean, vast yet changed
With tidal currents rearranged
For every drop’s a vital clue
To secrets hidden in the blue
Another drop for forty-nine
Another drop into the brine
Where secrets in the swirl of days
Are whispered drops of crystal ways
While tidal breaths still rise and fall
The ocean moves the life of all
Another drop of destiny
Another drop: that drop is me

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

November 10, 2019November 10, 2019

It Matters

It matters that we live our life
And that we try and fail
But in the end what matters most
Is that we’ve told our tale

It matters that we learn to love
And that we win and lose
But in the end what matters most
Is that we’ve worn our shoes

It matters that we make our mark
And that we stretch and strive
But in the end what matters most
Is that we’ve been alive