wayne visser | Wayne Visser

April 18, 2017

Swahili Spice

A Tribute to Tanzania

Jambo!
Greetings from Dar Es Salaam:
Eternal harbour of peace.

Dusty roads and diesel fumes
Pungent fish and fragrant blooms

Cauldron markets, bubbling trade
Vibrant fabrics, crafts handmade

Karibu!
Welcome in Zanzibar:
Exotic island of spice.

Azure skies and brooding clouds
Baking sun and thunder shrouds

Coastal mangroves, palm-lined shores
Exotic spices, wood-carved doors

Rafiki!
Friend of Africa:
Continent of passion.

Shaking tops and swaying hips
Clapping hands and whistling lips

Frothing rhythms, stamping feet
Pulsing music, living beat

Kwaheri!
Farewell to Bagamoyo:
Place of crushed hearts.

Ancient merchants, trading routes
Bartered treasures, plundered loots

Faded portraits, shadowed past
Rusted shackles, free at last

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.

April 18, 2017

Canyon of Mirrors

A Tribute to the Fish River Canyon, Namibia

I. Stop the Clocks

We descend through aeons
Layer by layer
Swallowed by the ancient snake
Wandering along the arteries of our thirsty Mother

Stop the impatient clocks!
Enter into geological time
Strip off the manic masks of civilization
Step into soul land

Invisible life weaves the fabric of our path
Footprints upon dusty spoor
Clawed and cloven

Scorching sun
Refreshing river
Rest brings relief to muscles strained
Untrained

A symphony of silence settles
A veil of red rays ushers in the bride of darkness
Her black dress laced with sequin stars
Her shadowed neck hung with lunar pendant

We dance into our dreams …
And awake to a new world

II. We Are Alive

We winch ourselves out of cosy cocoons
Creaking with rusted joints and aching limbs
Until motion oils and massages us forward
On our wilful march

Slipping and sliding
Splashing and crashing
Stumbling and tumbling …

We bruise
We bleed
And know we are alive

‘Cross shimmering stone and shifting sand
‘Neath searing sun and crumbling cliff;
Through the barren bad-lands
The sombre sad-lands
The curséd mad-lands!

Every drop of energy sucked and sapped
‘Til at last we call a halt

The swallows dip and dive
The fish eagle cries
We have survived!

The fire licks our wounds

III. That Sinking Feeling

The scenery blurs beneath the unforgiving blaze

Quicksand tugs at our ankles
Rock shards stab at our feet
The elusive horizon taunts us
The eternal “why” haunts us

A regal heron and nervous hare take flight
Bright, cheerful flowers bloom
Where there seems no right to life

Then the desert erupts into a gushing waterfall
Flowing down to majestic pools and through intricate channels
With the fluid hand of a master sculptor

Inviting respite from pain and progress
The icy river injects life back into our numb senses

The sun bows out to thunderous riverine applause

IV. A Promise of Out

Over the hump and into the canyon funnel
As sentry baboons bark: “Intruder alert!”
And klipspringers glide across the ragged stage like graceful ballerinas –
The wasteland blues are behind

Our ephemeral thoughts and mood are lighter
But our feet must still plod painfully onward
Through unforgiving terrain
Every step a burden of weight and pressure

Spiral etchings on the glossy plastic jet-black rockscape
Hint at travellers gone before
Perhaps ancient

A pair of fish eagles ride the thermals
With mocking grace and ease
At peace with land, water, sky

The watchful crags let slip their eroded disguise …
Sphinx, tusker, leopard, ape …
Then shimmy back to inanimate rock once more

At last, the distant peninsular summit
Explodes into expectant view:
Home on the rise
A promise of out

V. The Final Ascent

We rise early
Teetering on the fragile cusp between night and day
With finishing fever pulsing in our veins

The towering landscape flows beneath our eager tread
As we succumb to the magnetic pull of civilisation
Amidst vivid visions of all that is familiar and comfortable
Human prints and scattered litter show the way

The gift of orange seems heaven sent
Our turbo fuel for the final ascent

Step by step, we drum
The slow, steady rhythm of the climb
Driven by an unquenchable inner fount
Of strength and hope

Peering faces over the ledge
Are all the reassurance we need
To soar on chill-wind and chain
And clasp our holy grail

We are done
We have endured
Our old life back
Is our reward

Yet after the canyon of mirrors
We see through new eyes

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

April 18, 2017

African Pace

Far from the cities
And far from the streets
Far from the people
Is where my heart beats
It beats in slow time
In the vast open space
It beats out the rhyme
Of an African pace

With the sun baking down
And the buzz of blue flies
With chirping cicadas
And gentle breeze sighs
There’s no need to rush
No deadlines to chase
Just the slow steady pulse
Of an African pace

The cool of the morning
The heat of high noon
The balm of the sunset
The silk of the moon
The stars’ steady march
The rivers’ etched face
The life loving rhythm
Of an African pace

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

April 18, 2017

Prayer for Africa

Dear God
For the love of Africa
Hear my prayer

Africa is the cradle of your creation
Therefore, grant me patience
To nurture growth and goodness
In this great land

Africa is the rainbow of your heavens
Therefore, grant me tolerance
To celebrate difference and diversity
Across this wide continent

Africa is the drumbeat of your heart
Therefore, grant me courage
To offer comfort and compassion
In the face of her people’s trials

To the prisons of poverty in Africa
Let me bring the liberation of choice
And to the deserts of her suffering
Cool streams of relief

To the tunnels of deception in Africa
Let me bring lamps of truth
And to the jungles of her conflict
Flags of reconciliation

To the caves of despair in Africa
Let me bring voices of hope
And to the swamps of her fear
Whispers of comfort

Wherever Africa teaches her children
Share the lessons of my fading past
And where she dreams of tomorrow
Set my feet on the path of progress

Wherever Africa raises her leaders
Judge my support by democracy’s voice
And where she breathes in community
Join my breath with inspiration

Wherever Africa cherishes her wilderness
Mark my celebration of nature’s bounty
And where she cares for her people
Watch my spirit swell with love

For the love of Africa
Hear my prayer
Dear God

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

April 18, 2017

Place of the Skull

A tribute to the elephants of the Okavango, Botswana

In this great place
Where the elephant roam
Where the rivers embrace
Your ancestral home
Once you were king
Over all that you saw
From the dry dusty plains
To the wet muddy shore

Now you are silent
Your head on the sand
The guardian of pilgrims
Who visit your land
Sometimes you awake
‘Round the campfire at night
When the flames kiss your face
And your eyes dance with light

Then you speak to the shadows
Of the wisdom of ages
Of the secrets of wildness
And the passion that rages
In this place of the spirit
In this circle of stones
That are blessed by the gift
Of your skull and crossbones

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

April 18, 2017

I Weep for Africa

I weep for Africa –
And my tears water the ground
Where the tree of life first took hold
And its severed roots still spread wide

I weep for Africa –
And my tears salt the wounds
Where the battle for freedom first was fought
And its fallen heroes still lie scattered

I weep for Africa –
And my tears mark the stain
Where the blackness of slavery left its trail
And the rust of chains still bleed red

I weep for the invisible:
For all those who still live in darkness
Because the light of the world’s media is dim
And poverty’s face does not sell

I weep for the forgotten:
For all those who died nameless
Because the eye of the world’s memory is blind
And history only remembers the conquerors

I weep for the ignored:
For all those who cry out in vain
Because the ear of the world’s commerce is deaf
And free trade is freedom for the few

I weep for Africa –
Whose mountains are scarred by greed
And whose deltas are slick with corruption
Because power is like cancer

I weep for Africa –
Whose valleys are lined with graves
And whose rivers flow with blood
Because revenge feeds on itself

I weep for Africa –
Whose villages are skeletons of mud
And whose cities are phantoms of dust
For progress leaves many homeless

I weep for the mothers:
For all those who cradle sickness
Because their compassion does not pay
And life still has a price tag

I weep for the fathers:
For all those who sweat for food
Because the forges of industry are infernal
And labour is still just a commodity

I weep for the children:
For all those who grow up too soon
Because the killer virus reaps a bitter harvest
And childhood is still a luxury

I weep for Africa –
But not tears of pity
For this is a land of countless assets
And a people of abundant resourcefulness

I weep for Africa –
But not tears of despair
For this is a land of vast potential
And a people of inextinguishable hope

I weep for Africa –
But not tears of judgement
For this is a land with its own destiny
And a people whose sun is on the rise

Yet for my forgetting of her ancient ways
And my ignorance of her hidden secrets
For my deafness to her fireside stories
Africa weeps for me too

And for my dwelling in her shadows past
And my cutting loose her community ties
For my arrogance looking from the outside in
Africa weeps for me too

Yes, for turning my back on her wild spirit
And bleaching the arc of her rainbow vision
For my veil of salty tears shed for her
Africa weeps for me too

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

April 18, 2017

Africa’s Pride

A Tribute to Ghana

Basking in the welcome
Walking in the rain
Soaking up the sunshine
Wincing at the pain

Port of slaves
Place of gold
Seeds of youth
Roots of old

Markets on the pavement
Traders on the street
Worship under treetops
Beggars with no feet

Forts of cursed
Ships of yoke
Lakes of thirst
Spirits broke

JESUS SAVES Motor Shop
GOD’S GRACE Treasure Chest
DAILY PRAYER Mini-Mart
Retail’s heaven blessed

Grazing goats
Cows in pens
Roaming dogs
Free range hens

Bridges in the forest
Primates shy and rare
Anthills in the village
Bird songs on the air

Plates of rice
Laced with salt
Blends of spice
Drinks of malt

Fashion on the sidewalk
Music in the heat
Gridlock on the roadway
Dancing to the beat

Adinkra signs
Ashanti kings
Changing times
Freedom’s wings

Looking to the future
Seeing hope-filled eyes
Sensing a fresh vision
Of Africa’s new pride

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

April 18, 2017

I Know a Place in Africa

I know a place in Africa
Where I can feel the sun on my back
And the sand between my barefoot toes
Where I can hear the gulls on the breeze
And the waves crash on the endless shore

I know a place in Africa
Where the mountains touch the skies of blue
And the valleys shelter vines of green
Where the trees spread out a cloth of mauve
And the bushveld wears a coat of beige

I know a place in Africa
Where I can hear the voice of thunder gods
And watch their lightening spears thrown to earth
Where I can breathe the scent of rain clouds
And taste the sweet dew of dusty drops

This is the place of wildness
Of evolution and dinosaurs
Where life began and mankind first stood
Of living fossils and elephants
Where lions roar and springbok herds leap

This is the place of struggle
Of desert plains and thorn trees
Where pathways end and hunters track game
Of horizons and frontiers
Where journeys start and sunsets bleed red

This is the place of freedom
Of exploration and pioneers
Where darkness loomed and light saw us through
Of living legends and miracles
Where daybreak came and hope now shines bright

My heart is at home in Africa
Where the sound of drums beat in my chest
And the songs of time ring in my ears
Where the rainbow mist glows in my eyes
And the smiles of friends make me welcome

My mind is at ease in Africa
Where the people still live close to the soil
And the seasons mark my changing moods
Where the markets hustle with trading
And creation keeps its own slow time

My soul is at peace in Africa
For her streams bring lifeblood to my veins
And her winds bring healing to my dreams
For when the tale of this land is told
Her destiny and mine are as one

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

April 18, 2017

African Time

I’m living my days in African time
I’m walking the ways of season and rhyme
I’m weaving the maze of culture and crime
I’m soaking the rays of scattered sunshine

You think that I’m slow
You think that I’m lazy
You think I don’t know
You think that I’m crazy

But I’m beating my drum to African time
I’m hearing the hum of friends on the line
I’m counting the sum of blessings I find
I’m tracing the crumbs of love left behind

You think that I’m late
You think that I’m aimless
You think I don’t rate
You think that I’m nameless

Still I’m setting my pace to African time
My life’s not a race for the clock or bell chime
I’m moving with grace on a mission sublime
I’m claiming back space for African time

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

April 18, 2017

Where the World Once Began

A Tribute to Egypt

I. Flight of Time

Soaring like a god on wings Isis-blessed
In search of beginnings – a mystical quest
O’er newly wed mountains and islands estranged
‘Cross deserts of water – my Horus-eye ranged

In a flash I catch sight of her delta arms wide
She bids me fair welcome, this patchwork clad bride
With gold sand swept hair and brown sun baked tan
I am meeting my maker – where the world once began

II. Cacophony of Cairo

The City Victorious bustles and teems
With the chaos of life near bursting its seams
Hooter blasts mingle with chant-calls to pray –
A whirling sound dervish that’s danced every day

The dead and the living find shelter in tombs
The skyline is punctured with crosses and moons
While the tranquil Nile whispers of history unfurled –
The lotus bud blooming of the civilized world

III. Era of Gold

The speaking stones echo down canyons of time …
The vulture and cobra are shown intertwined
Two crowns worn together – the red and the white
As the kingdoms of upper and lower unite

The floodplains turn fertile and peace fills the sky
From the golden creator, the gods multiply
The sun is discovered in Earth’s cavern womb
The word crystallizes in temple and tomb

IV. Pyramids of Knowledge

Blocks hewn from stone form steps up to heaven
In praise of the sun – the spirit to leaven
The chambers within are sanctums of peace
Where the body can sleep and the soul find release

Resting content ‘neath the great shadows three
The lion of wisdom holds life’s precious key
Reflecting the dawn on his time honoured face
Weathered with patience – great guardian of grace

V. Monuments of Glory

Amidst all the rubble and ruins of old
Legends still linger and stories are told
Of glory and power, of order and law
Of beautiful cities and triumphs of war

The towering pylons conceal a great hall
Where a petrified forest of papyrus stands tall
Obelisks and statues rise regal with pride
Protecting the family of gods safe inside

VI. Valley of Kings

The dusty white mountains and valleys converse
In whispers of secrets hid under the earth
Of tunnels and treasures and sarcophagi
Of caves where the queens and the kings came to die

The tombs tell their stories in rainbow relief
Of ochre and kohl, green, blue and gold leaf
The walls speak of journeys from this world to nether
Of Judgement that weighs each heart ‘gainst a feather

VII. River of Life

Tufted green palm trees cling to the shores
Barely escaping the desert’s hot claws
Farmers and fishermen battle the haze
‘Neath the envious eyes of the limestone cliffs’ gaze

On the blissful blue water drift swans graced in white –
The sails of felukas shine billowing bright
The Nile’s ebb and flow are now slaves to the sluice
As the people and river search hard for a truce

VIII. Legacy of Ramses II

For three generations he ruled from the throne
Constructing and carving his likeness in stone
From statues colossi, his praise song still rings –
The original Gulliver, a giant among kings

Still awesome the sight, though millennia have passed:
The mountain of worship whose face is unmasked
Where horses and chariots do battle for kings
Beneath the protection of the gods’ outstretched wings

IX. Vision of Rebirth

Centuries trickle, as the future is frayed
Kingdoms erode and dynasties fade
The sacred ankh’s buried beneath aeons of sand
Its destiny resting in time’s patient hands

But the soul winds are changing, a gold sun’s on the rise
The snake is uncoiling, the bird again flies
From death, life takes breath, we feel the birth pang
And emerge recreated – from where the world once began