Tag: poems

A Tribute to Hugh Masekela

smooth
silky sounds
shuffling and sliding
shape-shifting and slipping
snaking along the velvet air
this music raw and rare
tribute to a legend
the maestro, the one and the only
the Trumpet Lonely
Hugh Masekela
his spirit rebounding
his echo resounding:
bring back Nelson Mandela
back Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Mandela
…
and tonight
under the pulsing light
he’s poised like a cobra
swaying before striking
mesmerising
hypnotising
moving from the shadows
grooving in the echoes
as the music tip-toes
on and on and on it goes
before tripping and flipping
and beat-stripping into
foot tap-tap-tapping and
knee slap-slapping and
hand clapping
music in motion
momentum mounting
swirling eddies in a stream
stoked coals glowing
perspiration showing
steadily building up steam
like a locomotive
a-hissing and a-huffing
and a-plodding and a-puffing
and a chugging and a-chuffing
stimela! a-hamba!
shosholoza
shhhhhhh!
…
toot-tooooooooot!
go train go!
go slow, go steady
gather up steam, get ready
for the steep mountain climb
the syncopated time
the synchronised rhythm of rhyme
overlaid and understated
overplayed and underrated
the song talk
the long walk to freedom
we won’t forget
we’ll never regret
the way we won
the day the sun
came shining
the people lining
the suburbs and the streets
the colours and the beats
no we won’t forget
the day the sun
came shining
shining
the sun, the day
the way we came
together
as one
shining

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.

What a year! Oh, what a year!
Around the block, around the bend
Around the world and back again
In time for snow and Christmas cheer!

What I’ve seen! Oh, what I’ve seen!
The fire’s strong, the fire’s bright
I chased the sun, I braved the night
I woke the muse and lived the dream!

What a time! Oh, what a time!
Of meeting minds, of meeting fears
Of random walks and World Cup cheers
I searched for reason, found my rhyme!

What a find! Oh, what a find!
To look beyond, to look within
To see a place I could begin
To leave the phantom past behind!

What a day! Oh, what a day!
When snowflakes danced with naked trees
When moonboats sailed on tranquil seas
Our dreams were young and love at play!

What a joy! Oh, what a joy!
To be so loved, to be so blessed
To still be on life’s sacred quest
I’m all grown up, yet still a boy!

What a life! What paths I tread!
Through valleys low, to mountain peaks
With flowing words through hidden creeks
I’m forty, with the best ahead!

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 the 2005 Make Poverty History March in Edinburgh, Scotland

The tide of white
The peaceful fight
Coming, ready or not
Lest Africa’s forgot
Coming to the shores
Of the Scottish moors
Knocking on the doors
Of the fortress eight
Questioning the laws
Of the Third World’s fate
From dissatisfaction
Comes a call to action
On debt and aid
And fair world trade

The snaking convoy
The voiceless envoy
Converging on the Meadows
Merging in the shadows
The masses flock
In patient gridlock
To start the march
With banners arched
Then the final crush
Before the rush
Circling the city
With hope, not pity
The tide of white
To make wrongs right

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 Antoni Gaudi

The very first glance took my breath away
Turning hungry night into thirsty day
With explosions of riotous colour
And swirling ideas like no other
With stone and glass curving
And wood fronds unfurling
On rooftops with teardrops
And courtyards with light-shards
You crashed in waves on my empty shore
And shook the caves of my hollow core

You stir the memory of ancient trees
And rouse the longing for restless seas
You bend and refract
My courage to act
To sculpt and create
My fusions of fate
You round my sharp edges
And speak my soul’s pledges
To fill my life’s ocean
With colour and motion

Your great gleaming spires
Hang suspended like wires
Between heaven and earth
Between magic and mirth
They echo creation
And spark revelation
To break with convention
And live with intention
To be builder and breaker
To become a dream-shaper

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 Mannheim, Germany

A modern city by the river –
The brochure purred enticingly
Omitting to mention
That it was flattened in the war
Then rebuilt as a lego-block town
Cut off from the river
By a ten track railway

Blessed with blue skies and sunshine –
My photos will nod in silent assent
Without ever showing
That my feet were aching
From walking in worn out shoes
Through a maze of dead-ends
To reach the elusive river

Against the backdrop of an elegant bridge –
My pictures will show a windswept smile
But stay mute, deaf and blind
To the jackhammer rattle
Clattering on the icy breeze
From across the busy channel

With a perfect promenade for lovers –
I will recall the cosy, strolling couples
But conveniently forget
That my mind was far away
Wondering what she was doing
And wishing she was here
Or I was there, back home

And yet there is a hidden city that lingers –
The unspoken sights
Of dancing fountains and pansy blooms
The invisible sounds
Of youthful buzz and ancient whispers
These are the unexpected discoveries
Which, once revealed
Turn shadow promises into authentic delights

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.

As markets crashed and wild fires spread
Fresh waves of doubt splashed in my head
So seas of promise turned to sands
And snuffed the flame of future plans

Then darkness warmed to fragile day
My scattered ruins left on display
And though rebuilding had begun
It took some time to find the sun

Now as the year draws to a close
The icy water melts and flows
I cut the rope and trust to time
Upon the ocean thirty nine

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.

It is loss
(As much as gain)
That binds us

It is pain
(As much as joy)
That joins us

It is suffering
(As much as satisfaction)
That moulds us

It is darkness
(As much as light)
That defines us

It is death
(As much as life)
That tests us

It is regret
(As much as foresight)
That bends us

It is rest
(As much as effort)
That sustains us

It is loss
(As much as love)
That makes us

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.

In Memoriam: Margaret Legum

Like a raven in the night
You’ve taken flight
Taken flight
Towards the light

Like a sliver of the moon
You’re gone too soon
Gone too soon
With one last swoon

Like a current in the stream
You’re flowing free
Flowing free
Towards the sea

Like the whisper of a sigh
You’ve bid goodbye
Bid goodbye
With one last why

Like a rainbow in the mist
You’re dearly missed
Dearly missed
Forever missed

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 journeys we plan
The trips we make
The holidays we remember –
All are vivid fantasies
Conjured from desire
Unattainable utopias
Wished upon a dream
Sun-picked memories
Pocketed for a rainy day

Travel itself is a shoddy garment
Creased with frumpled fatigue
And stained by leaky plans

Travel is a soundtrack of static hiss
For a fleeting moment of silence
Or a passing parade of trumpets

Travel is an ill begotten escape
Which tunnels back on itself
To the familiar prison of our thoughts

And yet a jacket well worn
Gives a certain comfort
And tells a story of its own
The flash of blinding wellbeing
And the flood of sensual bliss
Make the dissonance worthwhile
And ultimately, travel delivers on its promise
Taking us to new, undiscovered worlds
But never the ones we expected

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 Leonardo da Vinci

Born on a Saturday, third hour of night
With Tuscan hills bathed in the star spangled light
Ser Piero’s great pride and Vinci’s great joy
He was Chaterina’s illegitimate boy

At sixteen, he followed the Arno’s swift flow
And joined as apprentice to Verrocchio
To learn to perfect the painter’s high trade
Of capturing light and harnessing shade

He started by painting a tranquil glade scene,
Then the Madonnas and the pose of Benci,
The Magi adored, the penitent Saint –
All brought back to life on his canvass with paint

At thirty he travelled to the city Milano
An envoy in chief for the ruler Lorenzo
He was sent to the court of his patron il Moro
To give him a glimpse through the veil of tomorrow

In a letter, he made his offer prodigious –
From building of weapons to laying of bridges
Even a lyre from a horse-skull and strings –
In his words: “An infinite variety of things”

For seventeen years he stayed in that quarter
Designing new ways to regulate water
While filling his days with Paragone theses
Of legends and myths and fantasy species

At Paradise Feast, the heavens displayed
With magical motion effects that he made;
And a three-tier city was part of his plan,
As was his great wheel of Vetruvius man

He pictured the Virgin on bleak rocky shore
And captured an artist with his music score,
Then Cecelia posing with snow-white ermine,
Before re-enacting the last supper scene

His equine colossus was sculpted from clay
His Platonic drawings on published display
His thoughts and ideas in codexes bound
His paintings commissioned to bless holy ground

From Mantua to Venice, from Florence to Rome
Montefeltro to Paris – all made them his home;
From Leo the Tenth to Louis the First –
They all were enchanted by his great mental thirst

As architect, engineer, artist and sage
Biologist, scientist ahead of his age
Inventor of unbelievable things
An unsurpassed genius, this legend of wings

He towers above the landscape of time
With brilliant ideas and visions sublime
Still no one can fathom the depths of his guile
Or unlock the secret of Mona’s half smile

And even though five hundred years have gone by
He calls us to stretch out our mind-wings and fly
To join in the journey that he once began
And walk in the steps of the Renaissance Man

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.