WORDS OF CHANGE
This started as A Poem a Day Personal Challenge - COVID-19 ISOLATION SERIES which was an inspiration for a fresh start in my writing journey
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Thursday, September 19, 2024
DREAMSCAPE
You came to me again
last night while I slept
fanning flames of wonder
what do you want I asked
you don’t speak
just hover
warming me with a glow
of comfort and kindness
and then you are gone
I am left to ponder
In the morning light
I watch the clouds
for signs
Is that your trail
the smoky arc that loops
with perfect symmetry
amongst the clouds
that shimmers while I watch
then disappears, like you?
Tonight, I will look for you
in my dreamscape
ready to be guided
ready to follow your lead
Will you let me fly with you?
Will you lift me
above the daily grind
beyond the stress of doubt
that hobbles my momentum
that clouds my judgement?
I wait through daylight hours
and watch the sun dip
coloring the sky with radiance
and then I see your wings
brilliant in the setting sun
fanning flames
that send a spark of wisdom
in that instant
I get your message
open your eyes
see the good that surrounds you
believe in yourself
I am no longer left to wonder
You will be my guide to
abandon self-doubt
to find my inner strength
that will break my bonds
of indecision.
And when I am ready
you will let me fly with you.
Published in Dragon Dreams Anthology - Storm Dragon Publishing. September 22, 2024
Saturday, April 6, 2024
THE EYE OF RA
A CHERUB'S TALE - variation
A CHERUB'S TALE
Did you hear about the cherub who lost her wings
playing some games amongst other things
like chasing through rainbows
dancing with butterflies and crows
She hit an archangel with a halo toss
which ended up being a bit of a loss
for her wings were clipped short
which meant, so it said in the report,
that she got a demotion though
some might see it a promotion.
She was sent down to earth
to celebrate her birth.
Born with cute dimples and a mischievous grin
from the start she fitted right in.
With time she grew up, beautiful and bright
still dances with butterflies when they take flight.
So last laugh’s on the archangel way up high
Cherubs don’t need wings in order to fly
Published in Quillkeepers Press Mythos and Lore - Anthology of Authors, April 2024
Sunday, December 31, 2023
Building a custom bike hauler and camper for two
Building a custom bike hauler and camper for two
Trailer build article link
Monday, May 1, 2023
Links to my articles posted on Common Tread Motorcycle Blog
Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily: Highlights of a European bucket-list motorcycle tour
https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/corsica-sardinia-sicily-highlights-of-a-european-bucket-list-motorcycle-tour
Sunday, January 22, 2023
CONVERSATIONS WITH ELEPHANTS
swaying gently, heading for a drink at the river’s edge. Before dipping its trunk into the water, it stops, ears alert, aware of the life forms across the river. Its eyes are small for its bulk, but they seem focussed directly on me.
The elephant doesn’t need words to communicate. I get the
message clearly. “I am just here for a drink. I won’t bother you if you don’t
bother me. Understood?”
“Understood,” I message back silently.
“You do know that I am a mighty, powerful beast and I could
easily cross this puny water and stomp on you?”
“Yes, that’s clear.”
“Good. Let’s not make that happen. Welcome to my land. Have
a good stay.”
A group of guests has gathered to watch the elephant as it
drinks and squirts water over its head. And then it vanishes. One moment it’s a
large looming presence, the next, it is gone.
“What a good omen,” I tell Peter. “The elephant has given us
its blessing to enjoy our time here.”
“That’s reassuring,” he says with utmost sincerity.
It is a good start to our planned ten days of game viewing
in Zambia. Tomorrow we will visit the legendary Victoria Falls and take a boat
ride on the Zambezi River.
A cluster of blue taxis is parked on the main street of the
bustling town of Livingston. Drivers vie for our attention. We choose Mombi,
partly because of his engaging smile but mostly because he offers the lowest
fare. He speaks good English and chatters as he drives. When we ask, he
explains that the taxis coming the other way are flashing their lights to let
him know there is a checkpoint ahead.
“What does that mean?” Peter asks.
“Well, it means that they’re checking licences. Taxis need a
special licence to drive passengers to the Falls.”
“And do you have one?”
“No sir. I don’t. But don’t worry, it will be okay.” He
drives in silence for a while then, “Do you drive stick shift, sir?”
“Yes, of course,” says Peter.
“Well, then sir, I will stop before the checkpoint and you
can drive through it. I will walk and meet you at the other side.”
I am the one who reacts to this, imagining all kinds of bad
outcomes to this plan. “No, Mombi. We can’t do that. Stop here and we’ll walk
the rest of the way.”
“Absolutely not, lady. There are elephants in the bush here.
Elephants can be very dangerous. I can’t let you walk.”
I want to tell him that we have a pact with an elephant. But
that sounds ridiculous even to me.
“Okay, okay. I know what we’ll do. I’ll tell them at the
checkpoint that you are friends of my boss and that he asked me to drive you.”
“Do you think that will work?”
“For sure sir. I will give them the phone number of my boss,
Mr. Maboto, and they can call and ask him.”
“Is that really your boss?”
“No sir. My good friend. But don’t worry. It will be fine.”
And indeed, after some back-and-forth dialogue and a phone call to Mombi’s “boss”, it is fine. We clear the checkpoint. Mombi cheerfully tours us around the visitors’ centre, showing us the best souvenir vendors and points the way to the Falls View walk. It is busy with many families, dressed in their finest, enjoying a Sunday outing. I remember to ask permission before snapping photos of a particularly splendidly dressed group of women and their children. They pose, proud as peacocks in their glorious colours.
On the path to the viewing platform, monkeys chatter in the trees, swinging amongst the branches and occasionally jumping down to check out the tourists. An inquisitive baby monkey takes a fancy to Peter and tries to climb up his leg. Monkeys look cute, but they can bite and are usually infested with flees and mites, so I clap my hands and say “Scat.” This is enough to send the young one scurrying up a tree in search of its mother. Clinging to her back, he looks down at us with soulful eyes. I imagine the mother consoling her baby, “Don’t worry about the two-legged apes. They are rude sometimes, but they leave us nice snacks.”“Hello, my name is Anote. I’m a guide from the hotel,” he
says politely. “It’s dangerous to walk along the river on your own. Would you
like me to lead you?”
Why not? We know we’ll have to tip him but it seems like a
better option than making a misstep that could lead us tumbling hundreds of
metres over the edge. The young man has the grace of a gazelle as he steers us
over rocks, fording streams, threading our way through the water course.
Sometimes he takes my hand to guide me over tricky spots where the water flows
fast between the uneven stones. We walk beside deep pools where local lads are
splashing in the water. Anote doesn’t recommend this. There may be crocodiles
lurking. We can feel the mist of the falls when we stop close to the edge where
the water cascades to the river below. I am awed to be so close to the falls
and marvel at the fact that in a month, when the rains come, if we were
standing here, we’d be swept away in a raging torrent.
The tour ends at the hotel entrance. The sun is at its peak
and as they say, only mad dogs and stupid tourists stay out in the midday sun.
I am wilting and my water bottle is empty. The fee that our guide asks is more
than we anticipated but to walk at the edge of Victoria Falls, to stand at the
precipice and look 300 feet down to the swirling river below, has been so worth
it. We pay up and are politely reminded to add a tip. Which we do. The young
man doesn’t follow us onto the hotel grounds and I very much doubt whether he
has any relationship with the establishment.
It is bliss to sit under the
shade of the Mopane trees beside the pool, quenching our thirst with Mosi beer
and eating a leisurely meal until it’s time for our sunset cruise.
We have booked on one of the smaller tour boats, a jet boat
that can maneuver over the rapids and close to the shore where we get amazing
close-ups of wildlife. Herds of elephants with young in tow, half submerged
hippos displaying their cavernous yawning jaws and crocodiles keep us company
along the shoreline. Colourful birds are abundant, darting over the water and
perched like decorations in the trees on the river banks.
The crew offers us drinks and it feels grand to be sipping G
& T’s while motoring up the Zambezi River. The plan is to stop at an island
for a picnic, but as we approach, a large family of elephants emerges from the
far shore and crosses in front of us, clambering up the banks of the island.
“Sorry, folks,” the skipper announces, “the elephants have
right of way. We’ll have to picnic aboard.” No one disagrees.
I won’t bother you if you don’t bother me, was my pact with the elephant.
The following day we leave on a local bus for Lusaka to meet our friend and travel companion, Joe, for rest of our journey to a safari camp. The projected four-hour bus ride from Livingston to Lusaka, takes six and a half hours. Twice the bus is stopped at checkpoints by armed guards that search the luggage compartment under the bus. Looking for stowaways, we are told. No one is found hiding amongst the bags and eventually we continue on our journey.
We are the only white faces and the only tourists aboard.
The passengers are curious and friendly. At a road side stop, they helpfully
explain how to find the bathrooms and the snack shop. Most of them return
aboard with baskets of fried chicken, filling the bus with a delicious aroma.
We have a bag of crisps and a couple of cokes.
The countryside changes from dry veld to planted fields.
Rural villages eventually give way to urban sprawl. The bus rattles along at an
alarming pace, making up for lost time at the earlier check points.
Our friend Joe and his companion Vernon have waited at the
bus terminal for hours and are immensely relieved to see us. We are whisked to Vernon’s house where a
welcome supper is ready for us.
Vernon loans us a four-wheel drive Toyota HiAce for the bush
part of our trip in the South Luangwa Valley. In addition to our personal
luggage, we load the van with plenty of spare petrol, spare tires and bottled
water. Not enough water. You can never carry enough water when you’re heading
into the African bush. Before we leave, we go to an ATM to stock up on cash.
The Zambia currency has become so devalued, that our wallets are stuffed to
overflowing with Kwachas, since we will need cash for many of our expenses on
the trip.
After the dust and heat of the road, Mama Rula’s Camp on the outskirts of Chipata, is a welcome oasis with shady trees and a garden surrounding a small pool. The rooms are basic but clean and comfy. The bar is the social centre, where we eat, drink and exchange stories with other travellers.
Early in the morning we are back on the road following country roads that have more pot holes than road surface. Peter navigates the smoothest course he can between the many obstacles including cyclists balancing extraordinarily large loads on their bikes, pedestrians and wandering goats. Pedestrians, who seem to walk many miles from village to village, politely step to the side of the road as we go by and wave enthusiastically.At our lunch stop in a small village we pick up a hitch
hiker who travels with us for about 20 kilometers. He explains that he is a
minister of the church traveling to different rural congregations. As we drive
through a rural landscape, he tells us a bit about the subsistence farmers who
eke out a living on small plots of land, growing crops like maize and sorghum,
often walking long distances to fetch water. It is a hard life. When we come across a series of large branches
placed strategically as a rudimentary road block, he urges Peter not to stop.
“If you stop, you will be asked to pay a tax. These people aren’t legitimate.”
he says. “You are already paying a road tax when you buy petrol.” Lucky that he
warned us. On our journey we successfully by-pass several of these road blocks.
The tsetse fly check point is a different matter and can’t
be ignored. We wait while the guards, rifles at hand, inspect the vehicle for
evidence of these nasty pests. Tsetse flies are a terrible problem in this part
of the world and can cause serious illness in animals and humans, including
sleeping sickness. The inspection is very quick; just a swipe of some kind of
wand around the windows and sun visors and we are given the thumbs up and sent
on our way.
At night after supper, we sit at the picnic table drinking
scotch whisky outside our tent and listen to the night noises as the cicadas,
crickets and frogs tune up. Joe is familiar with these sounds. This is his
happy place and partly why we are taking this journey into the wild. He
recognises the bark of a baboon and the grunt of a hippo. He leans back,
breathes in deeply savouring the smell of African bush. Peter and I are so
happy to see the contented look on his face. It was in Zambia many years ago
that he married the only love of his life. Sadly, she passed away ten years
ago. Now all he has left are memories and the best of these are from the times
they spent in the African bush together. This may be Joe’s last visit to Zambia
and we are so pleased to have made his journey of nostalgia possible and to
share it with him.
The game viewing is beyond expectations. When we are in the open topped Land Cruiser, the animals seem oblivious to us. Groups of elephants casually cross our path. Zebras graze in herds and giraffes stretch their necks to reach the leaves on tall trees. Crocodiles and birds crowd the river banks. There are buck and antelope of every kind. We encounter monkeys and troops of baboons.
We have a rare leopard siting. The guide says it’s a young leopard, still learning to hunt. The puku that it’s stalking darts away which sets off a chain reaction of startled animals. The herd of pukus scatters. The leopard seems to give up and climbs a tree where it drapes itself artfully over a branch and watches us.
When we stop at the river bank for the morning tea break,
flocks of colourful carmine bee eaters flutter busily around their nests in the
muddy river banks. Large crocodiles lie on the shore with mouths agape, as
still as logs. One morning we see a couple of crocs wrestling over a half-
submerged buffalo. Further downstream, a herd of buffalo crosses in the shallow
water, while a kingfisher entertains us, diving into the river, emerging with a
large fish in its beak which it proceeds to slap against a tree branch. I feel
as if I am part of a National Geographic movie shoot.
After dark, a new world opens up. We are introduced to
nocturnal cats and scavenging hyenas. Lions, that lie around sleepily during
the day, are on the prowl at night. We follow a male lion as he tags along
behind the females, who work as a team to track their prey and make the kill.
The male then saunters in for the first bite.
One night we come across the sad sight of seven buffalo that
have become stuck in a deep muddy pond. The lions have already feasted. The
vultures are now at work and hyenas slink around waiting their turn. Despite
being partially ravaged, some of the buffalo are still alive, making low moans
of pain, their tails twitching. It’s hard to watch, but our guide reminds us
that this it is all part of the balance of nature, it’s the way of the wild.
Not far away, the lions have gathered in the scruffy vegetation beside an open plain. When we get there, they are in stalking position and are heading towards a family of elephants. The bull elephant catches their scent and puts out an alert. The young ones are herded protectively together. The elephants flap their ears and dust rises as they stamp their feet. The bull trumpets loudly and the charge begins. The herd thunders towards the lions. It doesn’t last long. The lions turn tail and run.
The guide explains. “If they were really hungry, the lions wouldn’t have given up so easily.” He tells us, that when they work as a team, lions are the only animals that can take down an elephant. I can’t help but cheer for the elephants. How is it that these hulking beasts with their wrinkled grey hides and beady eyes have become so dear to me?
The morning walks are optional. Not everyone wants to walk amongst wild animals, but for Peter and I, these are our favourite safari moments. Joe, with his bad knees, can no longer take part in the game walks, but he eagerly waits for the reports of our close-up encounters.Each morning our guide, Jackson, drives us to a different starting point. When the Land Cruiser is parked, we head out into the bush. On our last morning at the camp Peter and I are the only guests. Led by Jackson and accompanied by a scout with a rifle, we head to a waterhole where we quietly watch zebra, giraffes and impala having their morning drink. As we walk along the trail, the giraffes trail along, keeping pace with us, their heads peeping above the tall bushes. It feels as if we have an honour guard. When we come to a spot where a giraffe stands in the middle of the path, blocking our way, we wait patiently until it decides to move along. Giraffes look so velvety soft with their big melting eyes and long-egged ambling gait, they seem like gentle giants. “Don’t be fooled by how docile they look,” Jackson warns us, “a kick from one of those long legs can kill a lion.”
We wander onto a vast expanse of dry river bed following animal prints in the mud. Jackson identifies the foot prints of different animals. “Look,” he says “a hyena came this way. And there are warthog prints. Plenty of buffalo and elephants too.”We are examining an intricate spider web, woven like a net
across a deep imprint, when the scout looks up and says quietly, “Elephants.”
And there they are, a family with several young. Too close for comfort. They
have snuck up on us right here in the middle of an open plain, without making a
sound.
The scout takes charge, rifle at the ready. “Walk backwards,
slowly.”
The elephants are focussed on us. Ears flapping. The bull
stamps his foot. In silence we continue our retreat. Step by step, so slowly,
it’s like torture. For a moment I have a flash of panic. How effective can one
rifle be against a herd of elephants?
Then, a perceptible change. It seems we have retreated a
safe distance. The bull turns away and lumbers off to the far bank. The rest of
the herd follows, calves scampering alongside their mothers. We stand quietly
for a few moments to take stock. Apart for some rattled nerves, we’re fine,
grateful that we escaped being trampled and still on an adrenalin high,
thankful for the raw experience. Again, we are reminded, these are wild
animals, there are no fences between us. This is not a zoo.
I take time to savour this moment; to appreciate what a
privilege it has been to have conversations with elephants, to walk with
giraffes, hobnob with hippos; to witness the private lives of animals in the
wild. I send a silent message of gratitude to the elephant that we encountered
on the first day.
“Now,” says our guide cheerfully, “It’s time for tea.” And
we head back to the Land Cruiser where the thermos of hot tea is waiting.
We’ll have a good story to share with Joe when we get back
to the camp.