This week’s poem – memories and appreciation for time spent with friends in Namibia, and the walks in the semi-desert, the edge of the Kalahari, where they live.
.
Semi-desert
You choose to live out here,
In semi-desert,
Where life is armed with thorns,
With poisoned barbs,
Where blond grass tufts are tough,
Are bristled,
Deep roots against a wind that tears and rips.
.
Biting, stinging ants,
Scorpions’ bulbous tails,
Extravagant thorns, protecting tight curled leaves.
.
Dizzying heat shimmers,
Merciless sun pounds on red, rock anvil,
Heat cracks rocks, weathered by winter frost.
Across the scene tectonic action scribbles,
Crisscrossed by ancient lava flows,
and by the rare, life-changing, storm-brought floods.
.
Pale sky curves to dusty grey horizons:
Trembling heat in summer,
The whipping wind,
The cracking frost in winter,
And just in case that’s not enough, the salt.
.
Incredibly, a long-legged hare, runs startled,
Duiker flashes, and is gone,
Deep holes in hidden spots, to lairs,
Where, maybe,
Soft-bellied babies grunt and grow.
But also,
Along the dusty road, behind the kopje,
When velvet light softens golden dusk,
On your stoep, a heartfelt welcome,
Solid talk, braaied meat, and ice-cold beer.
Keetmanshoop, Namibia
December 2023
Nice poem Rilla – wonder how you would descrige the deserts around Jerusalem – they are less poetic, more built up by roads and concrete buidlings with bedouins living in really miserable conditions.
Keep on writing
Best/Peter
Thank you, if I get a chance to go there, I will give it a try!
A beautiful poem, Rilla, so evocatively capturing the landscape through its seasons and climaxes. Picture is gorgeous too.
You described the kalahari to the T. It’s an amazing place, a one in a million.
What a positiv and loveing way to describe a desert landscape. You look at it with love in your heart.
Hard and relentless nature, but beautiful friendship. Thank you for sharing Rilla
Beautiful 😍 poem.
Describes Namibia 🇳🇦 in detail.
This is well said….beautiful!
Thank you, that was a honor to welcome you into our world🍂
This is well said….beautiful!
Thank you, that was a honor to welcome you into our world🍂