Tag: african

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.

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 re-connecting
A junction for changing direction

The bus stops and train stations
The airports and traffic lights of our life
Are nodes linking us to our past
And windows peering into our future
They are choice matrixes
And platforms of destiny

At life’s stopping points
We bump into others and smile
(Or curse silently under our breath)
We pause long enough to reflect
To mull on our confusion
And share moments of clarity

So let us not be so impatient to leave
To wish we were somewhere else
Because life’s most unexpected surprises
Happen in the in-between
In the moments of passing touch
And the tangled knots of transition
Between boredom and panic
In the zone of chance
When the landscape is not rushing by

And love (the greatest surprise of all)
Is only to be found where paths cross
And journeys are re-routed
Where our most fixed plans change
And new destinations are contemplated
Love is seldom found at high speed
When we are looking for obvious landmarks
But rather when we are standing still enough
To notice subtle shifts in moods and patterns

Life is lived in the in-between
Amidst strangers who become friends
And friends who become lovers
Amidst lovers who become soul mates
And soul mates who make life worth living

And the places we think of as our endpoints
Are just launch pads for new beginnings
The time we spend waiting for our lives to change
Is the very fulcrum on which our galaxies pivot

Therefore, let us pay attention to the waiting
And be alert in the places of transit
Let us soak up the chaotic ambience of where we are
Rather than pine for the neatly ordered vision
Of where we could or should or want to be

Let us be where we are
Noticing the people and the smells
And the noise of the jumbled waiting
Alert to the feelings and the flow
And the beauty of the to-ing and fro-ing
Content not to be where we think we are going
Nor where we imagine we came from

Let us be happily in the transit of now
Fascinated by the overlapping of our world with others’
Of precious moments shared
Of fleeting smiles and knowing looks
Of orbits crossing that almost certainly mean nothing
And yet might just mean everything

Let us acknowledge all the forgettable faces
That emerge from the fog and melt back into oblivion
The warmth offered by random strangers
That leave us certain of nothing
Except that nothing is certain
And knowing no one
(Not even ourselves)
And yet knowing many so intimately
Through these fleeting connections

Life is lived in the in-between
Between moving and minding
Between loving and doubting
Between you and me
In transit
Life is lived
In the in-between

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.