Tag: wayne visser

Another bumpy trip around the chunky sun
With far less battles lost than new victories won
I’m far from my old age and yet no longer young
I’ve only just got started – I’m firing forty one

Another funky flip inside my clunky head
With fewer fears to face, yet ever skins to shed
I’m eager to find out what paths still lay ahead
I’m keeping my feet light wherever I may tread

Another chunky chip in my life’s hunky dough
With far less cause to shrink and much more chance to grow
I’m ready to become the star of my own show
I’m sailing on the wind and surfing in the flow

Another monkey trick of clockwork flunky fun
With no less time to waste and such great love to come
I’m gazing at the stars with dreams still left to run
I’ve only just got started – I’m firing forty one

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 Jeanette Hilda Visser (Mom) on her 50th Birthday 

Tell me your story – I am here listening:
About higher souls and chosen roles
And learning lessons since your birth;
About taking part in life’s great art
And bringing healing to the earth.

Tell me your story: I want to know all
About swarming bees and chimpanzees
And throwing stones for your pet dog;
About dairy rounds and farmyard sounds
And fairies inside hollow logs.

Tell me your story: I want to know all
About love affairs and riding mares
And shooting trophies that you won;
About teenage flights and party nights
And meeting him – that special one.

Tell me your story: I want to know all
About wedding bells and baby spells
And building your own house of dreams;
About paddling days and bush-war frays
And learning what true friendship means.

Tell me your story: I want to know all
About taking stands and moving lands
And starting over once again;
About camping trips and scouting tips
And growing esoteric ken.

Tell me your story: I want to know all
About hiking trails and mother’s tales
And children growing up too soon;
About wedded hands and shifting sands
And dancing to the Nana tune.

Tell me your story: I want to know all
About crossing seas and great oak trees
And feeling that you had come home;
About gardens green and countries seen
And shedding light where’re you roam.

Tell me your story – I am listening still:
About loved ones lost and heartache’s cost
And moments filled with joy as well;
About living true and being you –
There’s such a story left to tell!

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 Rome, Italy

Soak up
With all your senses
The Eternal City:

Ancient playground of gods
Fertile seedbed of legends
Feared seat of empire-builders
Gore-stained arena of gladiators
Dusty parade of soldiers
Muse-filled gallery of artists
Colourful canvass of architects
Taste parlour of connoisseurs
Intoxicating goblet of wine
Floodlit stage of sports-heroes
Nectar trap for tourists
Living history-book of people

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 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.