Wishings
Oh to stand again on the deck
to feel the rise and fall
and smell the salt of the sea,
t'was the wind to fill the sails
and send me flying
to search the adventure
of the seven seas
the stars to guide the mariner in me.
Oh to stand again in the shadow of the forest
to hear again the twitter and tweet
and see the brilliant plumage amongst
the brown and green
the silence and feary-lights at night.
Oh to float upstream on the tide again
navigating the twists and turns of the Breede
silence my only companion
the yellow-green reflection of my kayak
on the dark still.
Oh to stand again in a clearing
neath the hot bushveld sun
to feel the ground tremble
as the grey herds pass
vultures circle in the sky
and the fish eagle cry.
Oh to stand in the centre of my village again
with the children's cries of "Azungu"
as they dance and prance
a soft beat of an African drum.
Oh to stand again nearly naked in the humid heat
the hothouse floor scrubbed
scattering the pellets for my children
their smell reminding me that I am their mother.
© Gois
©gois
G