Tuesday 10 July 2012

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.

Saturday 7 July 2012

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