Oh so many wrinkles
Skin marked by sun and experience
Smile lines, frown lines
Knowing lines
No longer a blank canvas
Marks of respect from life
Badges of honour
Even if you’re an elephant!
Words and photos copyright to Englepip©
elephant
Daily Prompt: Night time safari
At first, the darkness of Africa is dense and dreadful
But for the stars above; pinpricks in the velvet night
There is no moon and the echoing bark of a nyala
Gives warning; there is movement in the bush.
Senses alert, my spine tingles in anticipation
The screech of a nagapie carries on the breeze
Like the doleful cry of an injured child
And I am mindful to resist the temptation
To run wildly into the inky black, to its rescue.
We sit and we wait; the cicadas, chirp
A constant whistling buzz; mosquitoes whine
A smell of damp earth, and fear.
And then we hear it, a rustle of leaves
A rumble in the darkness that vibrates within.
There it is again from the other side.
And slowly, shapes come lumbering out
From the bush to the waterhole – and I can see
Grey shapes conjured in a grey landscape
Lumbering large but oh so quietly
Dipping trunks into the liquid ink of the pool.
A snort, and the dripping back of water
And a noise like an emptying sink as
They gurgle the water deep into their throats
And the tiny elephants keeping safe
Under their mothers’ legs obeying the signals
Be discreet; be wary; keep close
And in a moment they shrink into the darkness
And are gone. Magic of the night in Africa.
It is sometime since I have been on a night safari but the sounds and eeriness stay with me. Waiting beside a waterhole, anything can turn up. I remember feeling very vulnerable parked in a broken old open-topped Land Rover with a guide with an old rifle our own protection! Of course it is very dark when the moon is out and that is so much in contrast to Europe and yet once your eyes get used to it, you can see shapes and when the moon shines it can be quite clear. The guides have a searchlight but that does disturb the night life – better to wait and listen and watch.
The picture is a screen capture from a site I often visit, Africam.
Words copyright Englepip©
Daily Prompt: Help the elephants
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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