Odyssey From Africa 12d, 13a
Chapter 12d (The Fireflower cont.)
As they held their breath and waited
For a flame to catch the fire flowers
Finally a smoky ribbon
Drifted upwards from the petals
Gradually the flowers smouldered
And a filmy smoke ascended
With an aromatic odour
As it played around Ipiki
So the bat inhaled the fire-fumes
As the healer watched in earnest
For some minutes nothing altered
In the breathing of Ipiki
Matto also, with his family
Looked intently at Ipiki
As the boat cast off its mooring
Sailing with the river's current
Downstream carrying them homeward
Navigated by the crewmen
Suddenly the rasping breathing
Of Ipiki stilled to silence
As the medicinal vapour
Worked to ease the lung infection
And the healer laid her hand on
Matto's arm for reassurance
So they left the bat in quietness
As they glided down the river
And the tiredness from their hill climb
Now descended on the children
Very soon they all were sleeping
Soundly in the evening coolness
And before the bright moon's zenith
They had done their homeward journey
Chapter 13 The whale
Over several weeks that followed
Han set sail with Tor the shipwright
Every day around the island
To gain practice in the boat-craft
Of the shipwright's latest vessels
And to do some offshore fishing
Learn the habits of the fish shoals
Of their pathways and their patterns
Han and Tor one day were sailing
Far offshore on deep blue ocean
When a pod of humpback whales
Began to surface to their starboard
Han had seen such whales already
Several times off his home village
Still it was a sight of wonder
To behold at such close quarters
These majestic ocean travelers
As they surfaced lifting high their
Barnacle encrusted flippers
So he asked of Tor the shipwright
If they could return the next time
Bringing with him both his children
Tor agreed to this suggestion
So they sailed a few days later
In two nimble ocean vessels
One with Han, Matto and Lisa
While the other bore the shipwright
With his eldest sons beside him
Once again they sailed out further
Than the shallow coastal waters
Past the narrow coastal shelf
Into to blue of deepest ocean
Han employed a sextant as they
Re-acquired their prior location
All the children with excitement
Scanned the seascape for cetaceans
Suddenly a crowd of seabirds
Gathered near them, to the port side
Guillemots that started diving
Down to chase a shoal of fishes
Copyright © Phil Salmon | Year Posted 2017
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