Whatever life’s chances have brought us
We must finally leave
Past behind:
Take heart that the future’s
Before us, untouched
Life’s a new path to find.
Pristine, the new year
Lies awaiting
Like a newborn entering the world.
Take care of your
Future chances
Give thanks for,
And nourish each day.
Happy 2018 to all readers.
Copyright Englepip © poem and photo.
It was a meagre existence
Hand to mouth
And using every gift God gave and more.
The hens scratched around the kraal
For insects and grass seeds
That had blown in on the wind;
The pigs snuffled through the undergrowth
Nosing out the roots of the dry grasses
And wandering off into the bush
For better feeding.
The earth-built huts baked hard in the sun
And the tin roof cracked and creaked in the heat
Warping out of shape and
Letting in a whisper of air
To the baking heat below.
During the day, a board sufficed
To shut out the animals
But of an evening everything was opened.
The voices of adults and children rang out
Across the hillside
The fires were lit and cooking begun;
Water fetched in the plastic buckets
And the plants tended in the dying light.
For that is when,
In the coolness of the evening,
The kraal comes to life
When there is laughter and love
And bellies filled with a meagre
Helping of phutu with amasi
And maybe pumpkin.
And that is when
The meagre existence of things
Can be a trial.
But only look up at the mountains
As night falls
And as the sun goes down,
At the stars sparkling in the heavens
Listen to
The companionship and song
Of family:
And sometimes just sometimes
The freedom of existence
In such a place
Makes up for meagre portions.
Poem and photo copyright Englepip©
It’s great to:
Love animals
Save dogs from the pound
Eat vegetarian or vegan
Stop the hunting hound.
Follow Green politics
Use renewables too
Have a small carbon footprint
Save our planet, blue
Look at David Attenborough
His passion for our earth
Saving all creatures
Almost from his birth
But there was one more Saintly
With Godly intent
St Frances of Assisi
Is of course the one I meant.
But let’s not leave it to the saintly
The famous or the smart
In caring for our planet
Let’s all do our part.
Poem and photo copyright Englepip©
Only you can bring that sparkle to my life
That wholeness and completeness
That is a rainbow feeling
Tingling from my nose to my toes.
Only you shed light upon the dark corners
Which no one but you understands
Only you give me warmth and serenity
And confidence to face the world with calm.
Only you – yes only you.
Poem and photo copyright Englepip©
Would you put me in a zoo
Because you think it’s safer
Or for your entertainment
‘Cos I’m cute?
Would you hem me in with fences?
Take horizons from my eyes
And the freedom that
Your species seems to prize?
No let me take my chances
Feel the wind upon my hide
Give me the dignity
To roam in landscapes vast.
But if you want to help me
Keep your poachers in control
Put them behind the bars
You would put me.
I recently had the pleasure of visiting a game park and seeing the wonderful wildlife in Africa in its natural habitat. The vastness of the landscape in Africa is awesome. To take wild animals for zoos or pets, is terrible and when you have seen the hugeness of the landscapes they are supposed to inhabit it seems immensely cruel. Some argue that zoos are there to protect wildlife but it is the habitat loss and poaching we should be tackling to a much greater degree in my opinion. You may be interested to read what is happening in East Africa.
Poem and photo copyright Englepip©
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