african | Wayne Visser

April 24, 2017

Horrendus Camena

Now listen to my rhyme – a literary crime
About which may be said: “It’s something all should dread!”
For it stumbles its beat and it fumbles its feet,
Faking phrases and words left free-floating like turds;
Plus the lines are all fraught, with ideas come to naught …
Oh, I’m filled with regret – I just want to forget
Ever starting this lilt that was destined to wilt …
Mine’s the ultimate gaffe – a dud-poem that’s naff!

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.

April 22, 2017

The Environmentalist

You call me an environmentalist
As if caring for the earth is some kind of cult
And concern for future generations
Is a subversive agenda to be treated with suspicion

Yet it is the earth that sustains us
And a future that we will occupy together
It is the place that all of us call home
And our children who will suffer or succeed

Being green does not make me a monster
Any more than being black or white would
In the end we all bleed the same colour
And when the earth is wounded, it bleeds too

You think I’m a fundamentalist
As if respect for nature is an ideology
And calling for limits to growth and consumption
Is propaganda with no basis in science

Yet it is nature that makes us who we are
And science that sets the conditions for life
It is a finite world that we all live in
And simple maths reveals the inconvenient truth

Being committed does not make me a fanatic
Any more than being a person of faith would
In the end we all believe in something good
And when we believe in nature, it gives back

You say I’m a conservationist
As if saving scarce resources is a bad thing
And giving space for all life to flourish
Is a zero-sum game where humans always lose

Yet it is resources that feed and clothe us
That fuel our homes and health and happiness
It is the web of life that supports us
And greater biodiversity means we thrive too

Being loving does not make me weak
Any more than being a parent or saint would
In the end we all long for compassion
And when we nurture all life, it takes care of us

You call me an environmentalist
I confess that I am, and so much more besides
So call me a humanist and a possible-ist too
For I believe that a better world is possible (do you?)

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.

April 21, 2017

The Abyss

When you feel like you are falling
Into a gaping abyss
Endlessly, helplessly falling
Into a bottomless pit
Hold on tight
To your inner light
And count your starlit blessings
Don’t ask why
Look up at the sky
And spread your radiant mind-wings

When you feel like you’re depleted
Without an ounce of drive
Totally, utterly depleted
Without the will to strive
Light a fire
Of your heart’s desire
And feed the flame with passion
Start a dream
Of a world unseen
And build it without ration

When you feel like you are alone
In a cruel uncaring place
Heartlessly, hopelessly alone
In a cold and empty space
Reach out and
A supportive hand
Will be right there above you
Share your fears
Your anger and tears
With those who really love you

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

April 21, 2017

Sweet Seduction

Ah, the lure of books
Such sweet seduction!
The gentle curves of a swaying body of words
The tasteful fabric of an exquisitely draped cover
The alluring glint in the eyes of an enigmatic character
The finely applied make-up of colour-textured illustrations
The possessive dance of an evolving rhythmic narrative
The aesthetic beauty of a pose of inflective phrase
At the caress of literature
All resistance crumbles!

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

April 21, 2017

Step Out

Step out into the breaking day:
Step lightly and step brightly;
As best you can, step rightly
Upon your chosen way –
Step out into the breaking day.

Step out into the spritely Spring:
A-thudding and a-budding,
With colours all a-flooding
And joy upon a wing –
Step out into the spritely Spring.

Step out under the glaring sun:
Beyond the shade of sheltered glade
Into the forge where hearts are made
And life’s true race is run –
Step out into the glaring sun.

Step out into the burning fire:
With dancing feet on blazing heat,
Defy the odds of self defeat
Through naked flamed desire –
Step out into the burning fire.

Step out into the gaping breach:
The bridge of sighs and stream of lies,
To stand astride the great divides
And stretch beyond your reach –
Step out into the gaping breach.

Step out into the fading Fall:
A-swirling and a-twirling,
Upon the breeze a-curling;
Responding to the call –
Step out into the fading Fall.

Step out into the sleet and snow:
It’s dripping and it’s slipping,
So walk with extra gripping;
Be careful as you go –
Step out into the sleet and snow.

Step out onto the fragile ice:
Cross hairline cracks and bear line tracks,
With quaking confidence that lacks
While fate is rolling dice –
Step out onto the fragile ice.

Step out under the gleaming moon:
While yearning tides and turning rides
Keep secrets that the future hides
Of lovers’ lilting tune –
Step out beneath the gleaming moon.

Step out into the starlit night:
Step surely and step purely;
Take care, yet not demurely,
Upon your homeward flight –
Step out into the starlit night.

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

April 21, 2017

A Splash of Colour

A splash of colour in a sky, which otherwise was grey
I met, above clouds on high, an artist on that day

On homeward flight, from my cocoon spun of corporate tire
She seemed to me a butterfly, with wings of bright desire

How was it that we spoke so free, on subjects so diverse?
As if upon a stage we played, our dialogue rehearsed

For her, a brush, for me, a pen, are keys to hidden doors
Behind which on eagle wings, passion swirls and soars

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

April 21, 2017

Mind-Seeds

I write my dreams in wisps of smoke
That swirl before the dawn;
And when I wake, my mind unblurs
To trace the edge of morn.

I rise with words, like tousled hair,
Still wild and unrestrained;
And when I brush them into place,
They fight to stay untamed.

Once at the gym, to treadmill beat,
Thoughts form and fall in line;
And when I stroke the cool blue lengths
The words swim laps in time.

Returning home, under the shower,
I write in jets of steam;
And after breakfast, at my desk,
I face a blinking screen.

I type one word – a secret key
Which opens many doors –
And gaze upon a sea of words:
An ocean spanning shores.

I dive into the frothy tides
With flailing, keyboard strokes;
And when I’ve splashed and made some waves,
Seek land before I choke.

I write day-dreams in digi-chrome
That spreads like inks that spill;
And when dusk falls, I find my words
Have travelled where they will.

I write my life in daily prose
That walks a winding road;
And as I write, my story springs
From mind-seeds I have sowed.

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

April 21, 2017October 21, 2023

Seize the Day

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

With the knocks and blocks
Of life’s surprise shocks
And the names and games
Of love’s fickle flames

Alas! It’s not the day that I seize
But the feathers floating in the breeze
And the jetsam drifting on the tide
That I cling to for my daily ride

Book

Seize the Day: Favourite Inspirational Poems

April 19, 2017

My Letters

I see you found my letters
My bottle on the seas
At last they reached your shoreline
And whispered on the breeze
They hint at new adventures
And childhood left behind
They tell of magic mysteries
Of worlds you’ll seek and find

I see you got my letters
My reasons and my rhymes
I hope they’ll light the darkness
And comfort you sometimes
I hope they’ll find you smiling
Perhaps they’ll make you sigh
But more than that, they’ll always cheer
Your future, as you fly

I see you read my letters
My rainclouds and sunbeams
I hope they’ll travel lightly
In your memory box of dreams
I hope they’ll find you thriving
Perhaps they’ll touch your pain
But more than that, they’ll always show
Your strength to rise again

I see you kept my letters
My wishes and my fears
I hope they’ll find some echo
Of truth across the years
I hope they’ll find you happy
No matter your endeavour
But more than that, they’ll always say:
You’re loved by me forever

Book

Icarus: Favourite Love Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together love poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology traces love’s agony (“Broken Dreams”) and ecstasy (“Galaxies Cart-Wheeling”), from first blush (“Almost Strangers”) to full bloom (“Say ‘I Do!’”), as we fly to love. You’ve given me the gift of golden wings / The endless sphere of blue imaginings / The chance to rise above the silver clouds / The will to cast off untold ghostly shrouds / Don’t fly too high / Don’t rise too fast / Don’t tease the sky / Don’t taunt the past / You’ve given me the hope of warmer days / The blessed kiss of the sun’s fiery rays. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

April 19, 2017

With This Ring

With this ring, I set you free
Free to love and free to be
Free to grow and free to dream
Free to spend your life with me

This ring is round and knows no end
It joins a lover and a friend
It joins the past and what’s to come
It joins two hearts that beat as one

With this ring, we take our vow
To make the most of here and now
To figure out the what and how
To share the stage and take our bow

This ring is forged with human hands
With gold and jewel from distant lands
So too, we shape our precious love
And chase the blue skies up above