poetry | Wayne Visser

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

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

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

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

April 18, 2017

What Now? (The Unpopular Vote)

About Donald Trump’s Election as U.S. President

What now?
He won the unpopular vote
What now?
He’s an emperor without any coat
What now?
All the power’s in the hands of a fool
What now?
We’re all living under bigotry’s rule

Now we rise up and we speak out
For this is the hour of democracy’s test
Now we defend the freedoms he flouts
For this is the moment to fight for our best
Now we dig deep and we stand tall
For this is the day for our values to shine
Now we defend and we don’t fall
For this is the moment for holding the line

For our freedom and justice
We’ll march on the street
For our planet and climate
We’ll turn up the heat
For our women and children
We’ll make our voice heard
For the sake of our future
We’ll not be deterred

Now we take stock and we prepare
For this is the hour of our reckoning
Now we join up and we share
For this is the moment of beckoning
Now we align and we support
For this is the day of pulling together
Now we get tough and we retort
For this is the moment to brave out the weather

For the keepers of every faith
We’ll refuse to be divided
For the people of every race
We’ll refuse to be one-sided
For the young ones and the old
We’ll find a better direction
For the willing and the bold
We’ll fight until the next election

What now?
We take up the strain on the rope
What now?
We stand with the forces of hope
What now?
We declare for the rights we have won
What now?
We unite and take action as one

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

This creative collection, now in its 2nd edition, brings together travel and tribute poems by Wayne Visser. The anthology pays tribute to the likes of Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Antoni Gaudí & Leonardo da Vinci, and reflects on travels ranging from China and South Africa to Ecuador and Russia. Life is lived in the in-between / In transit / Between coming and going / Between staying and moving on / Between here and there / And what we call home / What we call settled or contented / Is merely a resting place / A station for refuelling / A nexus for reconnecting / A junction for changing direction. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

April 18, 2017April 18, 2017

Forty Six

I nearly drowned, this year gone by
A feeble, frightful way to die
The waves too rough, the tide too strong
A frolic in the surf gone wrong

The year itself was full and bright
(There is no shadow without light):
My lovely daughter turned eighteen
My nephew earned the keys to life
My work took flight on silver screen
The year was peaceful, without strife

We nearly drowned, my love and I
Beneath that sunny summer sky
Dragged out to sea, the undertow
We feared it was our time to go

The other days were amply spent
On journeys, near and far, we went:
From pyramids and jungles green
To mirrored lakes and canyon walls
From mountains, caves and crystal streams
To crescent sands and gothic halls

We nearly drowned, first of July
With no regrets and no goodbye
The ocean made its power known
(At least we’d not have died alone)

The life we live is ebb and flow
The winters come, the summers go:
At times, the world is fresh and new
Love buds and blooms and casts its spell
At times, we barely make it through
We ache, we breathe, we live to tell

I nearly drowned, this year gone by
There are no rhymes or reasons why
But I’m still here, still in the mix
Alive and well at forty-six

Book

Life in Transit: Favourite Travel & Tribute Poems

April 18, 2017June 17, 2022

Lost Key

I. The Key

It was just a glimpse
A glint in the sun
A flint spark in the park
As I walked along
Lost in a daze
Amidst the maze of thoughts
And paths not taken
Futures forsaken
A flash of something
Out of place in space
And time
A rhyme interrupted
On its steady march
I glanced askance
To find the source
Of my distraction
That point of light
Which changed the course
Of flight in action
And there it lay, an object astray
Dull upon the vivid grass
Like glass that’s lost
Its sheen and shine
Until the rays
Of blue-lit days break through
The haze of dappled tree:
It was a key

II. The Lock

I bent and picked
Then gently flicked
The metal trinket free of dust
Thumbed its dent
And stroked its rust
My eyes mesmerised
By its jagged edge
And ragged mystery
Its silent history
Of openings
Of protecting and concealing
Hidden treasures
The pleasures of unlocking and revealing
An unknown nest
Of artefacts
A chest of gold
Or letters old
And fading, the lines shading
In the trace of stories
Of star struck lovers
Or soldiers’ glories and grieving mothers
Or something more mundane
A plain account of transactions
Between two parties
Now estranged, the tick and tock
Of a broken clock:
Behind the lock

III. The Keyholder

I began to meditate
Upon the lost key’s heft and shape
An object cleft from fire and steel
To reveal something
So unique, like fingerprints
Like hints of who
And clues to why
The echoed cry of one
The puzzle
Of how this story’s begun
I find myself wondering
Pacing and pondering
Tracing the mists of the owner’s travels
The twists and turns
The burns and blisters
As fate’s tapestry unravels
Leaving these fragments
Like loose threads
Fraying through life’s seasons
The reasons long since lost
The untold cost of living
Of giving without getting
Of letting
The most precious things
Disappear on wings of regret
For we forget, as we get older:
We’re the keyholder

IV. The Box

Keys without locks are castaways
Unhanded and stranded
On faraway shores
Where the cause of their being
The eye of their seeing is blinded
So as I held in my palm
This enigma, this charm
I could tell that its spell
Was unbroken
I had stumbled and fumbled upon a token
With a secret unspoken
And now in my power, this synchronous hour
I could grant a dying wish
A moment of bliss
It’s crazy I know
Yet I felt a deep flow
A tide in my head, blood red
Tugging and teasing
Ice logic unfreezing
Like a serpent in search of its tail
In a flash it came through
The thing I must do
For I knew without fail
That this was the key
That the future unlocks
And the fit was with me:
I was the box

Book

String, Donuts, Bubbles and Me: Favourite Philosophical Poems

This creative collection, now in its 3rd edition, brings together philosophical poems by Wayne Visser. In this anthology, he muses on subjects ranging from space, angels and destiny to time, science and meaning in life. According to scientists / The world’s made of string / That buzzes and fuzzes / Or some such strange thing / It’s also a donut / That curls round a hole / With middles and riddles / Just like a fish bowl / And there’s no mistaking / It’s more than 3-D / With twenty or plenty / Dimensions unseen / Still others insist / It’s really a bubble / That’s popping and bopping / Through the lenses of Hubble. Buy the paper book / Buy the e-book.

April 13, 2017April 18, 2017

Baobab

A Tribute to Africa’s Tree of Life

At the heart of the African plain
Stands a tree both old and sage:
A survivor of sunshine and rain
Silent witness to many an age

But this is no ordinary tree
For her trunk is hollow inside
And faithfully she keeps unseen
The secret of her native tribe

For her cave’s a place of birth
A haven safe from danger
This womb of Mother Earth
Is Africa’s child manger

The Baobab stands proud and strong
She serves her people as midwife
It’s been thus generations long
She’s Africa’s great Tree of Life

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

April 13, 2017April 18, 2017

African Odyssey

A Tribute to Botswana

Beneath the boundless African sky –
Unblemished blue overhead
And sun-bleached white on the horizon –
There is an endless African road:
Stretched long and shimmering straight
Tirelessly chasing its own vanishing point

Crossing the vast African bush –
Khaki-clad with stone buttons flashing silver
And mottled coat of green-brown and yellow-red –
Is a determined African bus:
A melting pot of tenacious travellers
Bubbling with the bright colours of adventure

They find a snaking African river –
A watery ribbon teeming with life
That quenches all who visit its cool shores –
Fraying into a wide African delta:
A floating Eden world
With arms open wide in swampy embrace

En route are remote African towns –
Echoing with fish-eagle cries of freedom
And donkey-plodding hopes for the future –
Nurturing countless African dreams:
Termite-mound aspirations reaching skyward
And ferry-chugging crossings to peace and prosperity

Among them is a wistful African poet –
At home in the bushveld of his birth
And at rest in the sands of the wilderness –
In search of eternal African mysteries:
The eroded ways of ancient flow-lines
And native answers to thirsty questions

Book

I Am An African: Favourite Africa Poems

April 13, 2017April 18, 2017

African Dream

My Africa!

As white-hot skies give way to bloodshot red
I breathe a sigh and rest my laden head
As dark descends and blinking stars pierce through
I close my weary eyes and dream of you

I dream a dream of genesis
Of teeming wildlife on the plains
I hear a tale of Eden’s bliss
Of sparks of knowledge fanned to flames

I dream a dream of beating drums
Of painted caves and hunters’ bow
I hear the voice of ancient ones
Who weave the web of what we know

I dream a dream of exodus
Of journeys over land and sea
I hear the song of restlessness
That swells with longing to be free

I run with cheetahs, graze with deer
I hunt with lions, know no fear
I soar with eagles, hide in dales
I swim with dolphins, sing with whales

I throb with music in the air
I see the swirl of rainbow flair
I feel the stomp of dancing feet
I sweat with fever’s tropic heat

I gaze into the firelight
I sit in silence, pure delight
I listen to the elders’ words
I rise upon the wings of birds

The rivers are flowing
The brown dust turned to green
The harvests are growing
In my African dream

The fathers are earning
The mothers’ love redeems
The children are learning
In my African dream

The peace-buds are blooming
The hope-streets freshly clean
The love-stalls are booming
In my African dream

As visions fade, all blurred and bled
My world unwinds like loosened thread
As daylight breaks and jet sky turns to blue
I wake refreshed with glorious dreams of you

My Africa!