Sole lord of the wilderness spread around,
viewed from his belvedere upon the hill,
predators or prey everywhere found,
swift footed deer and leopards poised to kill.
Herds of impala alert and watchful,
ready to flee at danger's slightest hint,
sniffing the air are edgily careful,
across well worn paths then suddenly sprint.
As the sun sails close to horizon's brink,
the waterhole comes alive with wildlife,
creatures big and small amicably drink,
peacefully sharing, without any strife.
now scarred and ruined stands this once blessed land,
its fate's been destroyed by a tyrant's hand.
Author notes
On Zimbabwe
Written August 10th, 2004
In a list
What did you think
Comments
1 - 15 of 15
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Brilliant!
Again, a brilliant write peacelink, you have a knack of being able to transport your reader to where ever your words speak of, you have described well the scene here, a scene of peace in the Animal Kingdom as it should be, then have at the end of your poem put the stark reality of what man has and still is doing to our earth... will they never learn? Great poem well done ~Katie~ -
I agree -
"If God so loved the world He would destroy Man."
- Diane Meacham -
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1) i love africa adn 2) i love poetry...you just managed to put them together seamlessly...excellent work!! i really enjoyed this write
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Wow... What a beautiful sonnet of Africa! And so true, it is like I saw Zimbabwe come alive again. I have a friend who lived there for awhile, who would love this poem very much. With your permission and credit to you, could I copy it inside of a card and send it to her? I'm sure she would appreciate it...
And yes, I do think a darker text color would be nice
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Lovely poem..quite true to life. Agree on the 2 out of the three.. Zims a shambles.. corruption rife - personally experienced it a few months ago (came back with Malaria!). Still plenty to see.. don't leave South Africa out though.. especially the Garden Route - check this out : www.plettenbergbay.co.za (no gain for me.
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I liked this poem, good sonnet which is really descriptive- perhaps a darker text colour would be easier to read? Keep up the good work because this is a lovely write
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Nice attempt at a sonnet.
And i appreciate this closer look at a piece of Africa. I hope that you contine to share this with us. I will look for future installments.
Susan -
This poem rings with truth of what man is doing to the wonderful, beautiful earth... how on earth some of the wildlife still manage to survive is anyone's guess... greed sure has much to answer for... I did so enjoy reading this, you background goes so well with your theme... hugs ~Katie~
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A wonderfully poem with the stark realities of the damages done to our earth. The uniqueness of each place on this earth can never be replicated and so everyone needs become aware of the things that are happening. Not after a species is endangered, and not after an echosystem is unbalanced... but before the brink of disaster is encroched upon.
An excellent, truly passionate poem. Best of wishes... ~genielassie~ -
Well Tilly you can still have one out of three Botswana. Well perhaps that would be enough after all it has the Okavango delta, and Chobe national park of course nothing is like visiting the Victoria falls the most amazing place especially by air.
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Wow - this is really great. Nice imagery. Put in some backwards words here and there, and you could be Adah from The Poisonwood Bible. That's the Congo though, so a little different. But savagely beautiful all the same. Great piece!
~Elsie -
good
This piece brought an acute sense of fear to me. Nature can be very savage. Very nice use of words. -
Ahhhhh Zimbabwe...How I long to raft down the Zambeze -walk her dirt roads in bare feet (or rubber boots-snakes Oy) and there is nothing like an African sunset...or so I'm told. You've brought a long time dream to life for me. There are few places on my travel list more intrigueing to me than Africa, particularly Zimbabwe-Botswana-Mosambique. Now, if only the politicians would get thier corrupt fingers out the African pie...we might could just sort it out.
Beautifully written, cheers for the read. x Tilly -
Well done
It's a sonnet! Well done Pari!
This is excellent rhyming in the Shakespearean style, and the meter is good (though not perfect). Line 4 is perfect iambic pentameter.
You have also done excellent work in the couplet, to show that the richness of the land is now all despoiled. This is sonnet perfection! I'm pleased to see this work of yours.
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startling
ohh...ahh...this is such a thoughtful poem. and now i'm searching for a better to describe how much i like this poem...it really has that je ne sais quoi, i have to say. its content is very specific and very descriptive, unlike some of the other pieces on this site (no offense to everyone). i love the sense of awe and adventure and the greatness of nature that you have in the first three stanzas. the last couplet definately jerks your attention back, into the world of people. i like how it is placed at the end, because humans have interrupted the natural tide of things. the word 'destroyed' is so heartfelt in that last line, it makes me ache with emotion. from this poem, you get a sense that something must be saved, and it must be done now...before it's too late. this is definately one my favorites on this site since i got here...only two days ago! thank you for this poem.
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