amboseli
A ravaging thirst.
Uncontrollable thirst.
Dry crackling under feet
sun beating down,
breeze adding to the torment;
blowing hot air & salty dust,
on the verge of a wild frenzy.
Sticky with sweat,
sand & salty dust.
Single cloud in the sky,
far off and wispy.
Hot air and salty dust.
Vultures circling, waiting for the drop!
hot sun beating down;
Sand, hot air, salty dust.
About the poem — this is quite an old piece probably either June/July or Nov/Dec 2016/17. All I remember about when I wrote is, it was a title to a travel piece in Sawubona magazine (hie South African Airways). And in the piece it said that “amboseli” comes from a Maasai word meaning “salty dust”. So I just started writing a poem around salty dust. My mind went to a dry and hot environment. Also random insert this the second piece that I have written on a plane, directly inspired by what I saw on a plane ride. You know, trying to distract myself from the fact that I am in a flying death trap. Contrarily I love watching and reading about plane crashes they’re so fascinating. Back to the piece, it’s meant to paint the picture of a very dehydrated individual, toiling towards some sort of oasis, some relief, picture a mirage, never ending footsteps, feeling like you’ve been walking for forever, the hot sun beating down on you, so much sweat, sweat that’s sticky but also quickly lifted away by the wind, mingling with the dust, the ground is cracked, the lips, the soles of the feet all cracked, THE THIRST!!!! Also thirst is one of my most favourite sounding words it’s so pretty.
Last bit I wanted to share is that most of my pieces are on nature and love, and this is because when I ‘actively/consciously’ encountered/engaged poetry for the ‘first’ time (high school) our set pieces for O level, were centred around these 2 themes. So I’d say that’s the main source of that influence.
Thanks for reading. Always and forever — LOVE, I love and appreciate you listening to my voice and helping actualize a dream and experiencing my creative energy! And hie Mutsa thanks for asking questions that have helped me understand and revel [in] my art.
