TANZANIA Safari POETRY Continued (5): Poems 9 and 10 (of 16)
Poem 9 explains how campers’ fatigue had set in. Poem 10 describes a more active way of taking in the landscape and meeting its people—cycling. (Please don’t forget to check out the other Tanzania Safari Poetry blog posts before and after this one.)
9. Safari—Day 6
Chips, spaghetti, canned veg and mince
Usually food that would make me wince
Last tented lunch
Ready to munch
At this point
Anything tastes good
Stomach understood.
10. Safari—Day 7
African biking
Like its hiking
Dust, gravel, and rocks
Patience and caution
With the posterior so much contortion
The morning wind makes the awkward feel easy
A ride that’s surprisingly breezy
But, then comes the midday sun
For now, nature has won
After lunch under a shady tree
Enough for me
Banana stop
Chapatti stop
Along the way, lost en route, the momentum to stay
Village children draw near
No fear
Our food they’ll hold dear
And so our uneaten lunch we pack into a box
Gently, sweetly, the little ones share
Then comes the fox
Out of his lare
Village bully grabs what he can
That wasn’t our plan
The afternoon sun scorches
Our support vehicle hot as torches
A puncture needs to be fixed
Another adventure
Nothing nixed
Another day in Africa
Luxuriating in the moment
Not thinking about what might be elsewhere
Details swirl, but no heavy care.
