Tag: Zimbabwe

poetry

southern African lament

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southern African lament

one wild sound
stuffed in a box
ringed with bars
wailing into the dark
seeing no way out
protesting anyway
pacing for change
waiting for dawn

poetry

on not knowing the news: Zimbabwe

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on not knowing the news: Zimbabwe

the second time
the friendly security guard said
we want you to be happy
we love tourists
I thought
something’s gone wrong

on the way home
in the strip mall courtyard
I peered at the pile of papers
90 arrested at MDC rally

when the librarian stayed silent
when we walked in
I could feel it:
that 2008 wind
nothing has changed

except the store shelves
are still full
for now

photography

Africa, Part One!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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As many of you know, we are now in Africa! Currently we are in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, after doing a 12 day safari in Botswana with our guide Kabelo. As we are in Africa, I have seen over a hundred new species of birds and taken many photos of them (and a couple of the more interesting mammals). Because of this, today’s post may be a bit long. However, I think you will enjoy it! (Due to the large number of photos I would like to post I will be posting four installments, each with 21 photos. Because of this, the photos in this post are from August 3rd to the 5th, our first two days of the Botswana safari).

This is a Familiar Chat, seen on the drive to the town of Otse in Botswana, south of Gabarone. The chat was very familiar, and did not fly away, allowing me to get this, and some other, photos.
This is a Cape Griffon, or Cape Vulture, which is very rare and declining, a victim of poisoning. Its current global status is Endangered, and in the whole of Botswana there are only two colonies. This picture is from the colony at Otse, the reason we went to that village.
The Gray Go-away-bird, one of the most common birds in the region, is very endearing and comes close to you, allowing good photos. This one flew into our camp at Khama Rhino Sanctuary and perched on a tree with its crest raised, providing a perfect photo.
Along with the go-away-bird, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills are also very common in central Botswana. I saw this one just after we had started a game drive at the rhino sanctuary and the sunrise light on it provided an amazing view.
Helmeted Guineafowl are some of the more common game birds in southern Africa, and congregate in huge flocks; we saw some reaching an estimated 50 birds!
Springbok were the first large mammals we saw, easily distinguished from impala by the different shape of the horns and the dark brown stripe on the side.
Although similar in appearance to sandpipers, Crowned Lapwings are not closely tied to water; we saw many out on the open pans, with no water nearby.
Impala were the second large mammal we saw, after Springbok. They turned out to be more common, and soon became like mule deer in Colorado.
Our first mammalian predator to be seen was the Black-backed Jackal, one of the most doglike creatures you can find. We particularly enjoyed how they run, described by many as “trucking“.
At one particular water hole we saw jackals, impala, Martial Eagle, White Stork, warthog, and Red Hartebeest coexisting together (which makes sense, because a jackal couldn’t eat any of those).
This Burchell’s Sandgrouse was the second sandgrouse species we saw. Sandgrouse are well-known for their habit of flying varying distances to watering holes to drink at various times of the day.
Crested Francolins turned out to be surprisingly common, much more common than any game bird in the U.S. We quickly began seeing large flocks moving about everywhere.
The Dwarf Mongoose is southern Africa’s (south of the Cunene and Zambezi Rivers) smallest carnivore. We saw several of these tiny mammals, at first thinking they were baby Banded Mongooses due to their size: full-grown ones are just 20 cm long!
Red-billed Oxpeckers frequent all types of large mammals; we saw them foraging for insects on kudu, impala, zebra, donkeys, and cows!
On a hike up the Goo-Moremi Gorge (not to be confused with Moremi Game Reserve) we saw an unexpected Verreaux’s Eagle, a very large raptor that we have only seen that one time.
On our second evening at Khama Rhino Sanctuary we witnissed a spectacular sunset over a watering hole filled with impala. This was one of the most iconic African scenes we have observed.
At that same time we noticed a herd of giraffe walking towards the watering hole, and I realized that this was a moment I could not miss. (Actually, I pulled out my camera to find out that I had used up my memory card space, so hastily deleting a video and some photos got me the ability to capture this photo).
This is a Natal Francolin, the second francolin to be seen by us. I noticed it just after I got up at the campsite at Khama Rhino Sanctuary.
I have compared the brilliant color of the Crimson-breasted Gonolek’s underparts to those of a Vermillion Flycatcher, one of our Southwestern birds in the U.S., some of the most admired birds for their color.
Fork-tailed Drongos are some of the commonest birds in this region, and are easily seen sallying to catch insects in flight.
Although their appearance is similar to cows, Blue Wildebeest are actually large antelope, and we saw many of them, sometimes in large herds, but never as many as in the documentaries where somebody with David Attenborough’s voice is grandly describing the “great migration” that occurs in Kenya.
poetry

On Edge at Mosi-oa-Tunya

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On Edge at Mosi-oa-Tunya

  1. The falls.
  2. Afternoon sun paints rainbows.
  3. Fish eagle pair wheels about the colored band.

What more could there be?
patience
and
peace

poetry

feline gumshoe after hours

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feline gumshoe after hours

Detective Meow
furrows his brow
so many cases to solve
like the Case of the Missing (not missing) Tea
or the Missing (not missing) Waitress

he puzzles each out
with a suave swipe of the paw
and twitch of black & grey tail

in an instant
he’s balancing on a sofa arm
or strutting across the stage
making life decidedly sillier
even if the perp goes free

when the long day is logged
and he’s off for the night
he cleans his whiskers
and favors luau:
rustle of grass skirts
scent of a lei
taste of Mai Tai
and the warm glow
of tiny tiki torches

poetry

warthogs on the lawn

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warthogs on the lawn

to be English in Africa:
beating back the bush
sipping tea and quinine
keeping your garments bleached white
despite red clay and grey dust
serving Her Majesty
a world away
stripping another tribe’s land
to twist the sinews of war
admiring the steel span view
(naturally, not the falls)
all while determinedly peering past
the warthogs on the lawn

poetry

Moonbow, Victoria Falls

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Moonbow, Victoria Falls

your eyes make the best cameras
 the guide says
somewhat apologetically

he knows how it will go –
a swarm of eager people
staring at the black faces of their phones
blinding each other with impotent blasts of flash
fiddling with ineffective light setting sliders
while chiding the machines in their palms
how can you not see that?
 aimlessly pointing at one torrent then the next –
maybe this one is white enough
or maybe an unseeing video would
do at least the sound justice
(played back later,
it is the epitome of white noise)

oh, my awestruck misguided friends
(including me, with my eleven photos
of a seeming void)
if ever there were a time for poetry
the moment’s at hand

dark shaggy forest
moon cooling from ember-orange to frozen white
whisper that turns to deluge
mist alternately brushing your forehead with feather kisses
or spraying your crown with spittle
the pale white arc
so much smoother than all the noisy jets
curving like Diana’s bow
leading your eye straight into
the frothing maw
then dancing ahead next time you watch your step

and that’s just overlook No. 1
of 7 we’ll be traipsing through tonight
breathing in frangipani
turning a misty colonial memory
into treasure the Copperbelt can’t melt