Wild Africa, by Wayne Visser

WILD AFRICA

I.

Africa wakes up, hungry

She prowls in packs and preys

She wakes up wild and wary

And hides in herds to graze

Lurking low, Africa waits

She leaps out with surprise

She sets her traps for bait

And casts her dewy eyes

Africa takes off, soaring

She rides on wings and prayer

She tweets and hoots, imploring

And swoops down from the air

Lying still, Africa blinks

She twitches in her manger

She shuts one eye and thinks

She listens out for danger

II.

Baking sun and bright blue skies

Tinder sparks to flame

Blazing grass and fearful eyes

Of creatures wild and tame

Thunderbolts and flashing cloud

Torrential rain and flood

Quenching pools and splashing shroud

Roll-playing in the mud

Pitter-drops and patter-sounds

Amidst the mist and showers

Blossom-bursts and splatter-grounds

All painted bright with flowers

Mating calls in season’s heat

New playgrounds for the young

Rhyming with new reason’s beat

Fun frolics in the sun

III.

Africa, stretching far and wide

Herds migrate with season’s tide

Hippos snort, crocs lie in wait

Most survive, some meet their fate

Africa, living wild and free

Monkeys swing from tree to tree

Warthogs squeal and lions roar

Dolphins leap and eagles soar

Africa, teeming great and small

Lank giraffes and bugs that crawl

Zebras mix with wildebeest

Hyenas laugh while vultures feast

Africa, joining earth and sky

Gorillas nest and springboks fly

Elephants rumble, wise as sages

Life joins life across the ages

IV.

Rising from the dusty plain

With hope in every burst of rain

This land of everlasting strife

This Africa, our source of life

Breaking out of rusty chains

With wildness flowing in her veins

This land where all creation roam

This Africa, our common home

Reaching out across the years

With echoed genes and veils of tears

This land of skulls and mystery

This Africa, our history

Forever feral, never tamed

With restless destiny unnamed

This land of the eternal child

This Africa, forever wild

Copyright 2012 Wayne Visser

Genesis by Wayne Visser

GENESIS

Out of the void of anticipation

Out of the time before time began

Out of the fire that sparked creation

Out of the earth that rooted a clan

Africa swirled

Africa spun

Africa world

Africa one

Out of the lava of molten streams

Out of the swamps of fetid earth

Out of the semiotic dreams

Out of the soils of fecund birth

Africa rose

Africa spread

Africa chose

Africa bled

From frothing seas and putrid ponds

With plankton tide and Pisces spawn

Life bloomed and bred and burst with fronds

And oceans glowed with Darwin’s dawn

Africa yawned

Africa breathed

Africa formed

Africa seethed

From fertile plains and sandy shores

Some creatures crept and leapt to flight

With fleeting flanks and razor claws

While others learned to walk upright


Copyright 2012 Wayne Visser

I Am An African inspires as 2012 Grahamstown Festival in South Africa

Today I found out that my poem, I Am An African, featured in a dance show by the same title at the 2012 Grahamstown Arts Festival in South Africa. Here is the blurb from the official programme:

I Am An African

Festival: Fringe  Genre: Dance  Venue: Victoria Theatre

A theatrical dance explosion of rhythm, athleticism, artistry and entertainment. Technically awe-inspiring dancers unfold the intricacies and eccentricities of choreographic dance fusions. A foot-stomping, nail-biting, hand-clapping audience will marvel at the works of some of the proudest South African choreographers. This highly entertaining, proudly South African work is set to the hauntingly beautiful poem I am an African by Wayne Visser

Details

Duration : 70 minutes

Directed By : Kelsey Middleton

Choreographed By : Supa Zungu And Kelsey Middleton

Written By : Supa Zungu and Kelsey Middleton To The Poem Of Wayne Visser

Composed By : Aubrey

Performed By : Musicians in CHNA with Footprint

Featuring : Supa Zungu, Thabiso Khomo, Muzi Buthelezi

I'd like to get hold of the artists, so if anyone knows them, please put us in touch.

My Words

I use my words to express the sounds of the mute,

My words I use to give birth to the hopes carried within the youth,

This is poetry, just my heart singing words in tune…

I use my words to break the walls that hinder people to dream, dreamers dream dreams

My words I use to destroy disobedience that traps the visions of our Josephs,

This is poetry, just my heart signing words in tune…

With my words I enter forbidden territory, lines drawn to limit one’s faith,

I break the bond between destiny and fate,

Its poetry and words from my heart in tune…

My words possess the power to create and destroy, the authority given to me by the Spirit of the Living God

My words renew, restores, rejuvenates the said to be “damaged” walls of Jerusalem,

This is poetry, just my heart signing words in tune...

My worship, my prayer, my praise and my thanksgiving, all part of my heart

And through my words I sing them in tune.

-Hlogi