An Afternoon in Africa

I am lying by a stream;
under an old willow tree.

The sun is shining;
birds singing summer songs.

Water skips and dances over pebbles and stones.
If you listen close, the wind is playing in the grass.

I can smell the comfort of wet earth,
as the dark storm clouds, unload their arms on far-off soil.

I glance across a field where Springboks bop around.
In these dark clouds, static fury sparks and shouts!
It roars, for it’s might to be known;
and for those that mock, it throws a mighty bolt, shaking African Ground.

Over by the waterhole, as horses in jail-wear;
zebra’s sniffing at the air, unsettled by the alarm of promised rain.

In the water, hippo-heads float; one swipes a fly away with his ear.
Beneath the waters, I know, hunting down a meal, dragons of old.

I stretch one last time, savouring the aroma of African soil.
I listen to the approaching thunder; the roar of a lion.
I gaze at the multi-colour spectacle as the sun prepares to tuck in for the night.
As I open my eyes I sigh, back at my desk; longing for an afternoon in my Africa.
By : Thys Groesbeek