Saturday 30 June 2012

THE MOTH:



As the morn pours vapoured life from dawn´s rosy-ewered lip,
You´re born struggling, emerging, wet-fragile-winged-tip,
As the sun fills the day´s begging bowl with life for you to sip,
You dance with sunbeams, & from the moon´s mantle you gently slip,
As dusk commits sepia suicide & into oblivion accidentally skips,
You flirt; you mate, knowing this is your only once- in- a- lifetime trip,
As into the obsidian ink of night, your wings make their final dip,
 For you the moth, one day is all, beaten by life´s short cruel whip.

Friday 29 June 2012

AFRICAN DRUMS:



Across green hippoed river bed I heed your call,
Thumping through my brain´s foggy ageing wall,
Over the distance of childhood memories, turned to dust,
Reflected within archaic tears of the elephants musth,
Thudding dully on my dark, scratched, echoed soul,
Left long behind, a booming vacant endless hole,
Behind tented sleeping lids, I feel the blistered beat,
The ancient music in my head, stirring my heart, urging my feet,
To sway to the chattering of slapped skin on hand,
To the whispering tongue of the throbbing land,
I feel the caressing kiss of zephyr’s dusty breath,
While dancing in my head to ecstasy’s sweet death,
It was there I left the child behind; where the bush voice strums,
But the scars remaining deep, are of long-gone African drums.

Thursday 28 June 2012

BECAUSE:



I fear to be bad,
I fear to sin,
I will never do wrong,
WHY?
Because:
I could never be separated from you,
One day you will go to heaven,
If I err & go to hell,
I would cease to exist
Without you.

TIME:



There is a time to tell a lie,
There is a time to heave a sigh,
There is a time to need to cry,
There is a time to have to die.

The time to lie is to protect you my love,
The time to sigh is with the pleasure you give,
The time to cry is the time to forgive,
The time to die, is without you my love.

Monday 25 June 2012

EUPHORIA:



Lie within my arms & dream of starry skies,
Let me bury my face in your hair,
Let my lips brush your neck,
Kissing your breasts & heavy lidded eyes,
EUPHORIA.

Close your eyes & feel my touch,
Skin of soft velvet cream,
Feel the hot exotic dream,
Of my loving you so much,
EUPHORIA.

Hair of twisted spun flame,
Splayed upon your pillow,
Entwined with love´s willowed whispers,
That knows no wilting sorry shame,
EUPHORIA.

Briny tears dripping whole,
Do not weep with sorrow,
Ride the foam of reason,
As I enter your eternal soul,
EUPHORIA.

Sunday 24 June 2012

SEASONS:



SPRING:
 Begrudgingly she came to life in struggling mewling pain,
 Spring came wailing, moaning, slipping & haltingly sliding,
Down birth´s long passage, murky canal, & into life´s rain,
Sired from a father unsure & a mother still undeciding
Whether she was too early, too late, welcome or not,
But with smiles bestowed & tears duly dried,
So spring was blessed & new life not denied.

SUMMER:
Spring danced summer in to the chorus of droning bees,
Tripping through fields of fragrant blooms,
Making merrybegots beneath shy leafy trees,
Into warm balmy days & nights of hot passionate Junes,
Growing into motherhood, showing warmth & ripe love,
Giving, nurturing & embracing all seeds & new shoots,
Singing lullabies to birds flying in the sky above,
Knowing wisely when to let go, when to cut roots.

AUTUMN:
Autumn, kissing summer adieu, lets her birds fly from sweaty nest,
Garbed for last dance in blood scarlet & old burnished gold,
 Iced crystals adorning her neck, she´s feeling & looking her regal best,
She waltzes over fields, beckoning & luring the reluctant cold,
Whispering winds of death to come, & chilled sorry damp mists,
Revealing ancient secrets to man, in his innocence, yet unknown,
Ticking off one by one, chores from her many last-chance lists,
Knowing her time is near for going back to her original home.

WINTER:
Wearily, autumn welcomed winter, her friend & mentor, Hecate the crone,
Who came proudly greeting fall, wearing her lined life-worn face,
Snowy hair, wise eyes, wise soul & stoop of brittle wrinkled bone,
She came bowing, knowing she had found her right & final place,
Place of bare branch, iced fingers & of death´s profound sleep,
Knowing she had come to the quiet time, knowing the end is nigh,
The time when she´ll take with her, the world we know, down deep,
Soon she´ll give birth to her daughter spring, but now it´s time to die.

Friday 22 June 2012

DAY:



Slowly, gently, you open sleepy, starry lid,
Far in advance of the human eye,
Guiltily I peep, unsure of your temper, my promising day,
Your heart, the sun, slumbers till haunting moon has hid,
Suddenly your soul explodes from singing, yearning sky.

A chorus of colour & music fills the sea & waiting earth,
No human but I, aware of you, behind sleepy drugged orb,
You laugh with dawn privacy of promised expectation,
I hope to God, your creator, that this spectacular is what you´re worth,
Feathered friends drink the scented dew, & from un-spoilt day absorb.

Man yawns & with him the world awakes in pain,
Slowly, as rotting fruit you sadly spoil,
Smiling sorrowfully you continue your existence,
Where is your laughing birth? Why does your happiness wane?
A sigh of breeze, a tear of rain; your sadness embraces the soil.

The moon pats you on the back & duskily consoles,
“I´m sorry it all went wrong, it may be better tomorrow”,
But for some, it never really does,
Yet, you continue hoping for the joy of human souls,
And I weep at sunset for your fatigued sorrow.

DON´T LOOK BACK:



Don’t look back at life my love,
You’ll find shattered hearts & broken dreams,
Teardrops of silver molten you will see,
Splattered crystal voids, as heaven above,
You´ll wonder, “Where are all my long lost schemes?”

Don´t look back at life my love,
You´ll only find lost & dear faces,
You´ll wonder why, as mist, all must fade,
Memories cry as the eagle & disappear as the dove,
You´ll find a piece of you in many far-off places.

Don´t look back at life my love,
Look forward & dream new dreams,
Let teardrops of silver joy fall whole,
Lift a smile to endless skies above,
Better to plan ahead in fresh ideas & new-born schemes.

FRIEND:



When I hear the wind blow, I hear your sigh,
When I feel the sun, I feel your warmth,
How sad we were when we said goodbye.

When I feel the rain, I feel your tears,
When I see the ocean, I see your heart,
Without you there are so many fears.

When I see the clouds, I see your soul,
When I see the stars, I see your eyes,
I was the meadow & you were the foal.

When I see the moon, I see your smile,
When I see the hill, I see your loneliness,
We talked for years & walked many a mile.

When I hear the river, I hear your laugh,
When I see the tree, I see your strength,
Between us, there were no tears & no angry wrath.

When I feel the flower, I feel your skin,
When I see the sand, I see your eternity,
We loved so gently & yet without sin.

When I see the child, I see your innocence,
When I hear the bird, I hear you sing,
When I smell the herb, I smell your fresh scents.

When I see the gull, I see you fly,
I was your friend & you were mine,
Wasn´t it sad when we said goodbye?

Thursday 21 June 2012

DUSK:



Drink in the rolling fields,
As God with his mighty finger wields,
Beckoning the sun to gracefully sink,
As Venus alluringly & shyly winks,
Flocks whisper goodnight in droves,
Wingtips caress clouds in pinks & mauves,
Dance the trees,
Sigh the breeze,
Night´s blanket, a mantle of peace,
Lined in stars & moony fleece.

SNOW UPON THE OLIVE TREE:



Olive tree, green friend of sun,
I see you stretch your heavy arms,
Barren of fruit, of every one,
Just leaves, waxy & cold,
Crying out for unheard mercy,
For the warmth, your friend the sun,
Hot caressing & so bold,
Encased within white purity,
Austere & hostile, you are crying, I can see,
I cannot help, I can only watch,
As you weep green frozen tears,
Dripping with the despair I feel within me,
Turning seconds of eternity into endless weary years.

GREY:



Young girl, cigarette between your lips,
Grey smoke drifting lazily around your mind,
Looking through the grimy window of your life, you see only grey,
The clouds suspended above polluted sky,
Make you wonder why it is,
Makes you wonder why,
Makes you start to cry,
Slow grey tears slip tiredly down your face,
Reflecting murky sorry thoughts,
Not even the little grey dove below,
Stirs you to a smile.

HOMAGE TO DAWID KRUIPER; …….”CAMAGU”.


In 1956 I came to Africa, a small English child,
Your folk took my little white hand in theirs of brown,
They showed me their world, wonderful & wild,
Nothing like my far away home of London town.

From your gourds I drank honey of strange wild bees,
I was taught your clicks, & like the hyena, how to laugh,
I was shown hidden marvels no white man sees,
And how with the crocodile I learned to bath.

Your folk showed me secrets I still know today,
Of buried eggs, the rain bird´s call & healing herbs,
To know the language of trees & their leaves at play,
And how to talk to all the beasts & birds.

The dance to call the rain to earth,
The words spoken by wind & cloud,
The sacred rites of every birth,
And how to walk the earth so proud.

 I still taste the tsama melon & marula seeds,
On my old tongue mingling with Bushman tears,
I left my heart buried under desert weeds,
Lost in the Kalahari with my childhood years.

Fifty years since I walked those sands,
Since I heard those stories told in musical dust,
Please God, guide your folk back to their lands,
Where the hyena laughs & the elephants musth.

Dawid, now an ancestor, gone are you,
Leaving etched in ancient fire & sand,
I now invoke you my special friend, “CAMAGU”,
I offer you, & in apology my friend, my old white hand.

Hail to you, Bushman Dawid Kruiper,
Your history written in Kalahari sands,
Not in pen upon the white man’s paper,
Your tales told from ancient clicks & golden hands.
Hamba Kahle!

Wednesday 20 June 2012

QUEEN OF THE NIGHT:



Milky pearl strung on life´s sleepy thread,
Nestled against night´s black bosom,
Smiling secret ancient smile,
As befits Queen of night´s velvet bed.

You who calls wolves to bay,
You who woo oceans tide,
You who whispers growth of root,
Beneath earth´s murky clay.

Sleep child of the universe below,
Rest your head heavy & weary,
Use your glowing charms to lure,
Oceans tides to ebb & flow.

Foamy lips kiss silver sands,
Beneath your canopy of muted light,
We live our lives & fight our fight,
Mystery of life in your gripping hands.

Hanging as crystal ball upon a tree,
Pregnant silence above us all,
Prisoners you hold of lunatics,
Influential in all we are & see.

Dressed in heavenly garb of gold,
Beauty beyond man’s dream,
Destroyer of the human mind,
Everything of life you see & gripping, you hold.

Every creature you hold in your silver hands,
Every mood we feel is due to you,
Every corpse that passes on,
Goes beneath your worm-crawling sands.

EYES OF SPAIN:



Velvet brown, heights of heavenly expectations
Reflecting depths of passionate hell,
Fringed with lash of ebony sable,
Black-ringed, burning Gypsy reflections.

I hear by searching your wandering soul,
The melody of life,
Strummed upon Castilian guitar,
Your being, your life, your whole.

Flames flicker & lick the black kholed rim,
Breathing heat of pine smoked fires,
Feet stamping flamenco beat,
Passionate tears threatening to brim.

Castanets talking in tongues of love,
Vino flowing blood-red droplets,
Upon lovers laughing lips,
God smiles down from heaven above.

Eyes of Spain, dark, hot as Andalucian sun,
Alive when day is done & night begun,
 To dance & sing, to play, To live, to love,
Until the existence of man on earth is done.

Tuesday 19 June 2012

WIND:



She runs along the sandy beach,
Dabbling in the foam,
Lashing at cold & lonely rocks,
Always near, & yet out of reach,
Everywhere her home.

Whispering secrets to desert mounds,
Tiptoeing through spring fields,
Kissing every flower in turn,
As a nurse doing her rounds,
Taking, selfish & yet lovingly she yields.

Sweeping dusky dawn beneath the rug of night,
And letting through the day anew,
She brings the dust, the clouds, the wet,
She knows to dance, yet strong enough to fight,
She´s an enemy & friend to me & also friend to you.

THE STAR, THE MOON, THE SWALLOW & I:



I saw upon dawn´s bland unblemished sky,
Venus, as a diamond, shining bright & high,
The moon, a slither, as crystal cut so fine,
The swallow danced between the two,
Three in the universe, just the three & I.

Human asleep, in this state you dearly pay,
Missing life´s total eternal reason,
No word need be uttered, no effort be made,
The sky knows, so does the star & the moon,
The swallow smiles knowingly & flies forever silently away.

HERMANUS BAY:



I long to go where the whales play,
Where the sun shines & the ocean glistens,
I long to go to Hermanus Bay,
Where silence reigns & nature listens.

BUSH CHILD:



I´m a wild child that none have tamed,
I´ve shrunk from city & clawed at town,
They´ve left me afraid, sad & so maimed,
I´m not here to please, I´m no painted clown.

I belong to trees of thorn & bush,
I weep tears of rivers old & green,
I´m as slow as time; please don´t rush,
Here I´m mad ; there I´m Queen.

WOMAN:



I´m a woman, who feels,
Feels with love,
I´m a woman, who needs,
Needs with passion,
I´m a woman, soft to touch,
Soft as the wing of a dove,
I´m a woman, who bleeds,
Bleeds for the pain of the soldier,
I´m a woman, who loves fabrics & fashion,
The feel of silk, velvet & satin,
I´m a woman, who cries,
Cries more than any willow,
Who weeps senseless tears,
Into night´s silent pillow,
I´m a woman, who is warm,
As warm as summer sand,
I´m a woman, who is as ripe as golden wheat,
I´m a woman, hold my hand,
Love me, & tease me,
Caress me & please me,
Adore me & love me,
But please, never ever leave me, because,
I´m a woman.

I AM WOMAN:



The grace you see in the swan on the tranquil lake is me, both swan & lake,
WOMAN.
The shade you seek beneath the tree is me, both shade & tree,
WOMAN.
The sun you feel upon your cheek is me, both sun & cheek,
WOMAN.
The moon that lies across your pillow is me, both moon & pillow,
WOMAN.
The dream you dream in slumber´s arms is me, both dream & slumber,
WOMAN.
The breeze you feel upon your brow is me, both breeze & brow,
WOMAN.
The book that brings you tear is me, both book & tear,
WOMAN.
The song you sing in joyful heart is me, both song & joy,
WOMAN.
The snowflake drifting from the sky is me. Both snowflake & sky,
WOMAN.
The raindrop sliding down your window pane is me, both raindrop & pane,
WOMAN.
The wheat waving in the field is me, both wheat & field,
WOMAN.
The sunflower´s sunny smile is me, both sunflower & smile,
WOMAN.
The sky whether blue or grey is me, both blue & grey,
WOMAN.
Oceans & seas, rivers & wells are me, all waters,
WOMAN.
Wherever you look, whatever you see, & all you hear that is beautiful, feminine & good is me. I am woman & represent all these things & more, & have done since the beginning of time & shall do long after you have gone, simply because I am woman.

SEPIA SECRETS OF SALEM:



I search old photographs, seeking a sign, a fading scar,
Peering into yellowing eyes & sepia smiles,
Wondering where you are,
Looking through the memories, reversing through the miles.

You of withered flesh, now long under, gone,
No longer in existence, no longer plotting schemes,
I search within the albums, below, beneath & upon,
But cannot find your moth-eaten fraying, frightened dreams.

 I untie the Woven moon-clad spider webs,
Etched across your ancient name,
As cold as pebbled river beds,
Memories of dust hide embarrassed shame.

What songs do the bones of the ancients sing?
What whisperings of the crepe parchment souls?
Are they carried to heaven upon the raven´s wing?
Or are they buried within sinful nameless holes?

Tiptoeing through corridors of Salem´s silent tomb stones,
Long forgotten by those who deemed to weep,
Black-stockinged nights, black cats, black hats, black swinging bones,
In souls of black justice searching repentantly deep.

Sunday 17 June 2012

IVAN:



You´ve walked a million miles in ancient time,
Savouring centuries past, one by one,
Waving to the moon, sipping rain, stalking sunshine,
You´re an old soul, a deep, happy soul, you’re my son Ivan.


Time moves rapidly on, so must you,
Don´t live past lives, don´t stop & linger,
It´s time to discover what´s false, what´s true,
You have the universe at the tip of your finger.

I wish you luck & I wish you happy well,
As you´re guided by your own special star,
Head for heaven my son & bypass hell,
I know you´ll go far & so very well.

XAVIER:



You’re moon, stars, sea & warm sun,
You´re poetry in motion, call of the breeze,
You´re a very human being, Xavy my son,
Birds call to you from their leafy trees,
And roads beckon you to run.

Xavier on this planet you´re a new man,
Walk slowly down the worlds winding ways,
Absorb wonders of its vast mysterious plan,
Repel atrocities as you pass through its days,
And then Xavy, on this planet, can you be a good man.

Go forward my son; walk tall in sun & rain,
I gave you life, now the journey´s up to you,
When you trip upon life´s stones, get up & walk again,
Many times you´ll wish that instead of walking you flew,
Live rich, live full, you´ll arrive in the end, happy, joyous & sane.

GOD IS EVERYWHERE:



Upon the raven´s wing I see your face,
From the eagle´s call I hear your voice,
In forest´s glade I know your place,
In ocean´s mists your tear I taste, salt & moist

Everywhere you´re felt, seen & heard,
Your image in old man´s milky eye,
In baby´s smile, in new fledged bird,
It is through you that I am truly I.

Saturday 16 June 2012

REGRETS:



I see beyond the screen of the moon,
Reflected there I sense your being,
You left me before the existence of man,
We were one, we were all, we were,
Time flies on tern´s plaintive cry far too soon.

I loved you before love was known,
Without mankind there is no love,
I needed you before suns shone & stars flew,
Our passion inflamed day, our love created night,
Our thirst for each other moulded home.

Now all´s created, what´s happened to you, & what of me?
Everything in the universe is here,
No place to hide, no place to be,
Oh God I loved you, but to no avail,
Gone is our love, in sky, in earth in endless weeping sea.

ZAMBEZI MOON:



The cheetah runs to meet you,
Zambezi moon,
The giraffe reaches for a kiss,
The elephant heralds your presence,
Zambezi moon.
The baboon tells you his story,
The lion bows down to you,
Zambezi moon,
The owl winks at your brilliance,
The nagaapie keeps you company,
Zambezi moon,
The gazelle yearns to leap over you,
The crocodile cries tears of love for you,
Zambezi moon,
The springbok dances in your light,
The black man smiles at you,
Zambezi moon,
The water thunders in your honour,
And I weep for your absence,

Friday 15 June 2012

THE MULATO:



Talk to me my black friend,
Talk to me of your black problems,
And I´ll tell you mine of grey,
You have troubles, but of which can mend.

My skin is not grey, it crawls,
In all directions, like the slime of your hate,
How can one have problems when one is not?
Like foul graffiti wiped off city walls.

Black is black & that is your hell,
But you belong & know what you fight,
I´m not white nor black, neither here nor there,
Unlike you, I have no reason to yell.

Be proud black friend, you have a reason,
You have a voice,
You have a problem,
You are black,
Black,
Black.

PICINNINI WILLY:



Picinnini Willy, Picinnini weak,
Dry your Picinnini tears from your dusty little cheek,
I love you Picinnini, I love your saucer eyes,
I wonder if you care, or even Picinnini, realise,
How we´re all rooting for you Picinnini boy,
Not just for a Picinnini crust or a Picinnini toy,
But Picinnini Willy, for a lot of love for you,
To stop you feeling so Picinnini blue,
Picinnini brown on Picinnini bones,
Unknown in this world, unknown in our homes,
Picinnini curly head, Picinnini love,
It’s up to us, not the big boss above,
So we´ll do our damnedest my little Picinnini boy,
To get you a Picinnini meal & a Picinnini toy,
To give you a Picinnini Christmas & a Picinnini smile,
To make you feel that this Picinnini life,
Can be Picinnini worthwhile.

SOLITUDE AND LONELINESS:



Two sisters in life, walking hand in hand,
Solitude the beautiful, fears no living man,
Loneliness, the ugly, the one who is so afraid,
Gemini, in life depending on how it´s played.

Loneliness, the hurting reflected in her face,
Loneliness, the abandoned, dismissed in sad disgrace,
Loneliness, the forgotten, the unloved & the unknown,
Loneliness, the one trudging through life without friend or home.

Solitude, the place of where secret whispering tells,
Solitude, the home where the soul´s wisdom dwells,
Solitude, the friend who will never leave your side,
Solitude, the prayer in which you always can confide.

Loneliness, take your sister´s hand in everlasting love,
Solitude, show your sister how to look up at the sky above,
Loneliness, in Solitude you are never ever alone,
Solitude, show loneliness the only right way home.

Thursday 14 June 2012

BLACK:



Black, reputed to be an evil shade, but why?
Eyes of gypsy minstrel, steamy, dreamy & shy,
Black as brine-washed pebbles washed up upon the shore,
Ancient crow with ebony wing protecting ancient tower,
Sun ripe grapes hanging heavy, black upon the bower,
Gentle hands of nun, offering soothing grace,
Dressed in black sacking, gentle as christening lace,
Stallion, black as sin but faster than the winter breeze,
He moves man faster than the wind whipping stormy seas,
The night, so dark, so black, enchanting with her charms,
Wraps us up in starry mantle & holds us within her arms,
 And lest we forget that black is good, cradles us to her breast,
Without her blackness, our lives would never completely rest.

EARTH:



Dark rich soil, beneath which life begins,
Feeding existence through to birth,
Seed, mole, lowly worm,
Needs hot, moist clammy earth,
Brown, the colour of your brother´s skin,
Beneath, as white as you,
Hatred, resentment, cursing, why?
Both you & he will return one day,
To beneath earth´ brown rich clay,
Just as the seed, mole, & lowly worm.

THE SNAIL:



HIS LITTLE HEAD EMERGED FROM HIS DELICATE SPIRALLED SHELL,
HIS TINY DELICATE ANTENNAE FELT THE AIR AROUND HIM, SENSING,
HE LOOKED AT ME, HE KNEW & SO DID I, & HE WENT SLOWLY ON HIS
WAY.

Tuesday 12 June 2012

SHARPEVILLE DICE:



Six sides to the dice,
Six people to the crime,
Six ropes to hang them,
Who shall be the winner?
The white man or the dice?
The black man or the dice?
Nobody will feel,
Nobody will know,
But six will be happier where they go.

THE TRAVELLER:



TO HER:
Isn´t it sad to see her waiting for the boat that never came?
So sad to see the lines of sacrifice within her smile,
While waiting, she turns to some secret place to weep,
The dawn dries her tears & the rain washes away her blame.

TO HIM:
Weary traveller, pack your pocket & carry on,
You see her sad smiling face as you wave to land,
Your mind turns as a windmill on the foam,
Each time you break her heart, you ask, “what have I done?”

HER:
It´s not the way you led me by the hand,
There was no talk of darkness,
No shadows cold & clear,
No cheap scented roses flung upon the sand.

HIM:
Woman, dreams are often broken, it´s true,
I hear your sigh carried to the moon on the wing of a dove,
I was tortured by your breath from across the sea,
For a night in eternity, you were me & I was you.

HER:
Man of the elements & earthly kingdom,
I wanted to be your body & soul, your perpetual shadow,
But even if for you, I swam a million oceans,
The only love you´d take from me would be freedom.