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Community Safari To Africa
| Open Poetry #1 |
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Community Safari To Africa |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA 
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So there we were, in Africa The land of mystery! So many sights and strange delights Were there for us to see. We loaded our safari bus, Employed a native guide.. We aimed our jeep for jungles deep And this is what we spied........ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NAN --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  With Guide Chahi, his khaki's donned Binoculars clenched in our hand This grand safari now wends on Through Kenya's plains and vast grassland Chahi's admonishment, we're told, "Heed well this word - Dare not to stray From this safari's safe enfold. The risk's too great - You'll be the prey." He said we must look carefully Wild life is camouflaged to hide In blades of grass, betwixt each tree - Savanna's their open reside It seemed that hours had passed on by, When first we spied - in silent gaze O'er clutched acacia looming high Stance sentinel so more could graze His gentle eyes and regal crown With mottled flank, Maasai Giraffe Long neck with shades of tans and brown His cow beside with yearling calf. Demeanor pure omniscient grace All knowledge his before the pride His eye on us, the bull set pace An instant ballet flanked our side. One herd of syncopated dance Pedalian legs in harmony We looked behind for one last glance Continued on our trek to see..... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Poet DeVine ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  The birds fly up in fright she is walking in the night pacing left, pacing right the prey now within her sight sniffing out the jungle breeze she will do what she will please striking now with fierce ease bringing food, hunger to appease Tiger, Tiger full pride and dignity beautiful for the world to see I watch from a truck’s safety can you see the fear in me? Cubs tumbling after you in fun suddenly you turn to run finding food before rise of sun tonight’s victim taken, undone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Craig ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I spied through spreading canopies A troupe of traversing Chimpanzees, Yet one apart did catch my eye Swung low from branches way up high That hung from arms as well as feet This distant cousin I did meet. Wide saucer ears human like face Yet sprouting hair from every place, He scratched his nose then waved an arm So captivating with his charm. I watched an hour went by or more He in his tree and I the floor Wondering what he thought of me, Just another old Chimpanzee? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sally S. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   I spied an odd-toed ungulate referred to as a "Rhino" Upon my trip to Africa atop an altiplano. I did not want to get too close, I feared she may take charge. You see she had a gastly smell and that horn was rather large. She snailed around covered in birds, I found that simply funny. I hear she also has fine hairs. I think I'll call her "Bunny". She'll charge towards most anything. She thinks she's got the right. But what the others do not know, she simply has poor sight. I feel for that poor Rhino...she hasn't got a friend. Yet I think I'll keep my distance...No horns near this back end! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Angel -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Then in the sky so cerulean in the colossal trees; I saw a exquisite toucan fly past with great ease; This captivating bird so colorful and eye-catching; All I could do was watch as it spread a lone wing; Then in the distance I detected a quartet more; Of these enchanting birds whom I positively adore; I just stood there and beheld the family of five; The wonderous sight which made me glad to be alive. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIM ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scavengers of the Sarengeti, ...Carrion eaters of the plains, Reviled my man and beast alike, ...Doth feed on death's remains, Bloodcurdling screams, the hounds of hell, ...As shadows of the night, Lurk in darkness, beside death's door, ...Soon bones shall feel their bite, Across the plains, all creatures call ...Their offspring to the fold, Hyena's laugh cuts through the night, ...As mother's blood runs cold, With rising sun, the plains are bare, ...As bones have gone away, Hyenas in their burrows hide, ...As death has gone away. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Christopher ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heavy silence spans the valley, bright new moon lies o'er head. A sudden, strange sensation, it's the nighttime filled with dread! I hear a plaintive, howling call, the beasts, they seem so near. And I wonder what foul evil comes, that these creatures sense with fear. Then through the murky, clouded fog, down deep in jungle's night; there's two keen gems before me, white gold that shines so bright! I feel a wave of terror, come crashing through my soul. I breathe anticipation, and pray I'm not it's goal. What manner demon, vile is this, that flows across the ground? With perfect, flawless prowess, its footsteps make no sound! I cast a gaze around myself, frenzied panic wells within. There's no escaping fury, of those eyes if I'm the end. Then the haze of fog, it clears, a moment short in time. No laughter peals from my lips, a gaping fool is what I mime. This is no devil cursed with sin, to send my heart to hell. No illness reeked upon the land, it's a form I know so well! The great black cat then pauses low, it scans the view I see. Its muscles bunch beneath its skin. I prepare myself to flee! But the shadow quickly passes by, and not a scratch I feel. Just a piercing screech behind me, as the panther kills its meal. Then I see the eyes again, they flit a graceful dance. And I wonder if that zebra knew, it never had a chance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Genea ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  The tsetse fly flew Toward the sky so blue And just then i knew Which animal to chronicle After my trip to the land With pyramids and sand. The trip was quite grand, Quite a spectacle! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alwye ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I spied through the dense jungle of brilliant emerald green, A great and powerful python, a vision so rarely seen. Slumbering lazily in a giant tree laid the vicious snake, And the very sight of him made me wildly tremble and quake. Our friendly safari guide assured me I had no reason to worry, But even though he was almost harmless, away from him I hurried. For there is a reason for me to be afraid of this python you see, For they eat the little people, and I am only four foot three! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lucie ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  The herd of gazelle breaks through the trees moving toward water with caution and unease. Though they sense danger, thirst drives them on they’ve been watching the horizon since dawn. As the leader steps forward, ears perked for sound he slowly moves onward the herd follows down. As each dip their noses to drink from this pool the water tastes sweet, the rains made it cool. In the tall grasses the cheetah lies low he watches the passing of gazelle down below. He searches the herd for the weakest and small and begins to move forward with low hunters crawl. The herd is down wind they don’t catch his scent the leaders to late to warn that dangers present. The herd breaks apart the cheetah springs forth and follows the nearest gazelle to the north. As one of the elders dash left and then right the cheetah sprints forward his noon meal in sight. The frightened gazelle breaks to the south the cheetah lunges and grabs hind leg with his mouth. I watch as the cheetah brings this fight to a stop and stands with his treasure in weeds where it dropped. The sight of this capture fills my heart with strife, but this is just nature.. the circle of life . ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tara Simms ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you see the grasses swaying? Did you think it was just the wind? There stands a striped creature, a zebra hides within. Hiding from its hunter in the tall African grass. It pauses, too scared to move, as the panther runs past. Usually the zebra's camouflaged stripes of black and white protects it from being prey-- but not tonight. The hunter smells its fear and charges in for the kill. I wince as I hear its death cries: tortured and shrill. I shake my head sadly as I ponder the animal's fate. That poor zebra didn't know it was going to be ate. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Terri -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  I spied a Collared Lizard asleep there on the ground little fellow of many colors yellow, green, orange and brown A Boa came slithering toward him "Oh No!" my heart did beg But to my delight, he bolted upright and ran swiftly on tiny rear legs! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LngJhnAg ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I came upon a city rising out of the African veldt, It consisted of one high rise and really nothing else. All the tenants were very busy and left me all alone, "What a friendly place," I thought. "It's here I'll build my home." The view was open and plentiful except in one direction, The high rise blocked the view I needed for meditative reflection. And so I asked the tenants if they would soon vacate, Their muddy little hovel before I began to excavate. Since they didn't seem to care about my eviction notice, I assumed they wouldn't mind a lot if I used explosives. And so I knocked upon their door (but not too long or loud), And then I lit the fuse and watched that high rise make a cloud. It seemed the tenants dimly viewed their brand new home address, Because they came back down to earth seemingly in distress. They gathered themselves together as a Termite Welcome Wagon, And paid a visit to my camp with their hungry jaws a snappin'. I'm a salty sailor with a medical discharge from the sea. For when the decks were heaving, my wooden pegleg hampered me. I haven't urban renewal experience, I thought I could make it painless. My new leg from Sears is coming tomorrow, and this time it will be stainless. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Fred Hobbs ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Behold that elephant out there A big old dude, ain’t got much hair Can pull a tree up by the roots He chases guys in khaki suits Eats grass and leaves and jungle fruits Don’t be too close though when he toots He’s got a real outrageous trunk He uses that for lifting junk And spraying water, dust and dirt At passing females just to flirt If hunters come around to hurt He trumpets out a loud alert Behold him now but best look fast Because his days may soon be past His ivory tusks are highly sought And chances are he may be shot By poachers getting paid a lot For every ivory tusk they’ve brought To sleazy merchants, seldom caught... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ redwriter1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Noone seems to notice me as I float silently by but I see them as I float but I can't wave or say hi I wish I could be free of this weight of mine and fly like the birds but I move fast in my mind All the other creatures believe I am slow because I don't swim, and splash to and fro But I see everything the detail, the leaves I alone see the forest through the trees This slow moving creature you see before you has the wisdom of seeing the lies through the truth They all can sqauwk and flap their wings they can swim circles and make fancy rings but they just keep going around and around covering all the same ground I on the other hand have seen what's beneath and I go slow enough that I can reach the truth ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ wayoutwalt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The spider scampered high on the limb The swampman knew his outlook was grim Remembering his umbrella, it would protect him From the poisonous bite, that soon could infect him Caught unexpected, he uttered an oath Just before an alligator swallowed them both Rubbing its belly, sighing in content The gator laughed at the twisted event ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sunshine ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You all think Sunshine only comes out during day but I too like to watch the night-time animals play. So you’ll excuse me if I slightly cackle, my animal in Africa to watch was the jackal. Slightly ugly animals at their best they are usually found following nature’s quest of cleaning the environment, the nasty little beast, on all sorts of carcasses they usually feast. But did you know they are societal beasts? Not like human jackals who are usually cheats. A mis-named dog of sorts, they roam the barren plains They’ll eat certain plants and all sorts of other remains. Their coat is yellow-gray, they’re smaller than a wolf They’ll hunt prey in packs, otherwise they’re aloof. You’ll mostly find them roaming around at night And in their band, moms, dads, pups, they hang tight. 19 August, 1999 ©KRJ ------------------ [This message has been edited by Balladeer (edited 08-26-99).] |
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| © Copyright 1999 Michael Mack - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
I've read them all separately as they were posted but together they are wonderful ... and I like all the graphics! I'm ready for the next community poem! |
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suthern
since 1999-07-29
Posts 20723Louisiana |
I came home tired and discouraged from a rotten day... and you took me on a delightful vacation! Thank you, poets... great job! |
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Rosemary J. Gwaltney Senior Member
since 1999-08-26
Posts 997northern mountains, Idaho |
This was a treat! I enjoyed the pictures,too. |
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WhtDove Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-22
Posts 9245Illinois |
You guys have done a wonderful job! Great pictures, and I even learned some things about animals i didn't know. |
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DreamEvil Member Elite
since 1999-06-22
Posts 2396 |
Magnificent portrayal of nature and teamwork. This likes me much. ------------------ Shall I indulge in flights of fancy hampered by clipped wings? DreamEvil© |
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Seymour Tabin Member Empyrean
since 1999-07-07
Posts 31720Tamarac Fla |
I stand in awe of this effort. a wonderful communal happening. |
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Pepper Member Elite
since 1999-08-19
Posts 3079Southern Florida |
This was a wonderful treat for me! I will probably never make it to Africa physically but thanks to you all for taking me there in my minds eye. Wonderfully done!! ------------------ Shannon |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
We bad!!!!!  |
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latearrival Member Ascendant
since 2003-03-21
Posts 5499Florida |
This was fun to re read.. |
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