Tag Archives: Namibia

Consumption

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The lesson from history and nature is

adapt and survive

It is roots in rock

eking spare moisture
from minute fissures in time
to pry the jagged jaws
too thirsty yet to ever stand
closer than several cracks apart

It is fleshy welwitschia

named mirabilis
reputed to live
two full millennia
with just two leaves and
elephants about to shred them for dinner

The lesson from history and nature is

to love the feast
to love it fully
to await it humbly
to expect it
never

Palmweg Concession, Namibia

December 2013

first published on salt.org.sg

Blood-lines

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DSC00538Coming into Windhoek

underwing
the lazy rust of
blood-stained sheets
left too many weeks
dry-aged

everywhere you look
there’s inspiration enough to entitle
a season of Mentalist episodes
I entertain a Hollywood plot
a tragic crash
untimely end
our blood and guts
spilt Chinese lacquer
seeping into copper

rather too fanciful
I admit

were we truly to fall
grey metal mote would be all
barely denting
dusky damask

Skyscrape

Image

A vertical photograph of a skeletal, dead camel thorn tree (Vachellia erioloba) with gnarled black branches, standing starkly in the cracked white clay pan of Deadvlei, Namibia. The tree is centered against a backdrop of undulating, rust-red sand dunes, with a dramatic, overcast grey sky above.

Dunesflurry

Image

A high-contrast landscape photograph of a series of sand dunes silhouetted against a bright, cloud-filled sky. The dunes, which form a gentle, dark curve at the bottom of the frame, are in the foreground, catching the last light of the day or the first light of dawn. The sky is the dominant feature, with a dramatic pattern of small, scattered white clouds that appear to be in a flurry across the blue expanse above the desert horizon.

December 5, 2013

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The photograph presents a majestic lion resting on a sun-drenched, rocky terrain. The lion, a young male with a developing mane, is captured in a low-angle shot, emphasizing its powerful presence. Its gaze is directed forward, an alert and intelligent look in its golden-brown eyes, framed by tufts of fur. The composition places the lion centrally, its body angled slightly to the left, with its front paws elegantly extended forward. The surrounding environment is a landscape of scattered, rough-h
 
the night Mandela died
it seemed that every being
retired to mourning
muting hush 
 
plains once dazzle a dozen 
become bereft of black striped tan
hyenas held their laughter
holed up in their dens
jackals even lost
their unstinting hunger
no springboks no oryx
no kudus no ostrich
 
at dawn this land
lay barren as we passed
till beyond Fells Spring
we saw the king himself
and then
as if the moment marked
returning back the way we’d come 
his subjects danced 

Six Rhinos Sighting

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One late morning in Tintswalo
six rhinos stepped onto the road
only minutes from the lodge
while our eyes were on the warthogs
i felt it, the rush, the stir
the fist around my heart but
it was my first trip out
and the moment’s grip on me
was stronger than mine on it  

Tutta is 9 years old
a young black who’s already lost one calf this year
her number one, three years old, has left home
alone she alternates seasons in the Palmweg
we’ve driven three hours through volcanic sere
to hear the walkie talkie tracking 
of a sighting 
a family 
two boys
and a spot under Mocampo tree
this time i know better
i snap her up

 

A lone rhinoceros stands amidst a rugged, rocky terrain under the dappled shade of a sparse, leafy tree. The rhinoceros, a striking pale grey, is positioned slightly off-center to the left, its powerful body facing mostly towards the viewer. Its horn is clearly visible, sharp and pointed, and its large ears are alert. The ground is a mosaic of red-brown rocks of varying sizes, interspersed with dry, brittle-looking vegetation. In the background, a more substantial tree with a pale, gnarled trunk

Fake

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This photograph captures a dramatic and fiery sky, devoid of any land or horizon. The composition is entirely filled with a turbulent expanse of clouds, painted in intense hues of deep crimson, vibrant orange, and smoldering red. These brilliant colors are contrasted by darker, brooding masses of purple and charcoal gray clouds that swirl and intermingle, creating a sense of depth and movement. The lighting is that of a sunset or sunrise, with the low-angled sun aggressively illuminating the und

if you’re not so good
at taking the shot
it’s best to go where
the shot makes you

 

Sunset, Desert Rhino Camp 

Evening Shades

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The photograph captures a scene of a safari-style lodge at dusk, bathed in the deep, inky blue of the twilight sky. The main subject is a long, canvas tent structure, extended by a covered veranda that runs along its front. Warm, inviting light spills from within the tent and from overhead lights on the veranda, illuminating a series of tables and chairs, suggesting a communal dining or gathering space. Silhouetted against this light, indistinct figures can be discerned, adding a touch of life t

we meet up again
at desert rhino camp
in the Palmweg Concession
 
at communal dinner 
it turns out Sasha drinks 
red wine even vodka 
it’s just champagne 
bungs up his tummy
he confides i discover
warm and funny
it’s his stutter keeps him silent 
not he’s sullen
and yes, he still foregoes 
the pureed lentil soup
but only because
if he eats it he must see it
he explains meat 
should be meat 
see, what i’d pegged as pique
was simply sensitive
 
and as the evening went from pork to apple crumble
eating pie and humble
i had to unsnap those early judgments
i’m much too fond of making
for neither he nor Yanick
were Gasprom or ex-OSS 
or anything remotely sinister
instead, they bake 
Russian and Ukrainian
ceramic tiles for sale
in europe’s many markets
(in which trade there plainly is money
enough to marry models)
saving one last shallow surmise
of mine still standing
 
 
 
 

Magnates from Former Soviet Socialist Republics

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Sasha won’t drink champagne at breakfast after the balloon ride.
He just won’t.
From Kiev to the Namib, he prefers neither heat nor ice.
He just doesn’t.
But air-conditioned malls and the night F1 in Singapore
Light his eyes
They do. 
And Elizabeth, blonde-haired teen bride on his shoulder.
She does.
 
On the blimp 
We’re east of english 
closing on orthodox
The Frankfurt fraus on Maine
descend from Greeks 
And the Swiss Germanically vie 
their scars from knee surgery
Our pilot once was French 
which Maria also speaks
who’s with monied Moscow Yanick and
who teases Sasha 
because there’s so much still in this wide world to see
and absolutely nothing 
about our glide in the heavens to be grumpy 
 
 
 

The Intersection of Aub and Tsauchab

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The photograph captures a vast desert landscape under a dramatic sky. The composition is divided into three distinct horizontal bands: the foreground, the middle ground featuring sand dunes, and the sky. The foreground is a flat, dry expanse of earthy tones, sparsely dotted with clumps of pale, sun-bleached desert grass and scattered stones. Dominating the middle ground are the iconic, undulating sand dunes, their curved surfaces sculpted by wind. The largest dune, a striking peak of warm ochre

 At 5.58
we were third 
at the gate
to Sossuvlei
(that ivoried clay pan
with its sentry
titan dunes)

we’d outpaced the gloaming
third would hardly do
so we sped for first
overtook Messrs
Sunway Safaris
the first first bus
caught up with
the South African passat
which, tailgated, would yet not let

don’t blame the city slicks
these dunes too are whet
to slicing blades
whipped up to peaks
by grinding competition
between two winds
between the desert and
the deep blue sea