Still working on my PhD. at the age of forty-three
though as a teaching assistant, all my schooling’s free
The problem is my thesis, I change it every year
for approval from my advisor, it must rhyme with his fav’rite beer
Would last year’s subject tickle your tibia?
“One-cell diets of 18th-century fireflies
that migrated to the north of Namibia”
But this year has me spellbound, the thesis is so perverse
It focuses on presidents – from Monica fellating Clinton
to what Lincoln did in his hearse
So, you are hereby invited to view my forthcoming dissertation
~ snicker and smirk at Oval Office ruination
~ NoBenny Fitu Sosighety
I
Namibia is my most beloved country,
Like it is a marvellous Beulah land
With a mighty will, great glory
So, be glorified, my free Motherland.
From red sand deserts to the shining shores
And the sun gives me its setting,
Echoes of the seagulls melodied its choruses,
Masterpiece of Paradise is mesmerizing.
II
Wisdom of the people is ancestor-given
As whose blood waters our freedom is glorified,
Their heroism is unforgotten
And the blessing of diverse culture is bespoken.
What makes me so proud today?
Being a Namibian and free is what I cherish
My love for the Motherland is displayed everyday
May the dreams of my country flourish.
The bare knuckle
Fist game sport
Going viral.
UNITED WE STAND
United, We Stand;
One indivisible African nation,
Nurturing, growing, developing, expanding, impacting, uplifting.
We stand, we tower, we rule.
We are Africa;
Nigeria, Liberia, Algeria,
Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia,
Libya, Uganda, Rwanda,
We are one.
United, we stand
To break the bonds
Of corruption and tyranny.
United, we stand
To rout the enemies of our peace.
United, we stand
To build and expand our frontiers.
United, we stand
In pride, dignity, solidarity.
United, we stand
As the unshakable monolith- Kilimanjaro.
We will stand as one
In the midst of a troubled continent.
Our young will soar high,
Our streams will flow wide.
Our flocks will multiply,
Our crops will satisfy,
Our gold will beautify.
Our land, this great land,
This Africa of incredible magnificence will dazzle the world.
Together we join our hands
Standing on the mountain crest;
Black Africans, white Africans,
Joy on our faces,
Looking up, looking far
To the brightness of our rising.
- By Kirsten Okenwa
LORD, I humbly greet You, early this new day, a Tuesday in May
I return to my prayer list with "N" countries, from Netherlands to Norway
Adoration is the FIRST STEP (one way to PRAY) using "A-C-T-S"
The letters, not the word, "A" for adoring Him, God IS (Love) & LORD of lords
The "C" is for confession of sins. Then "T"hanksgiving and "S"upplication
I intercede, Abba-Father, for peoples in LOCKDOWN - quarantine as The virus
Called the common "Corona," a "garland" with aura, but what a CRISIS
The world has never been as connected & as SHUTDOWN for business!
Fear is everywhere, we rebuke it in Jesus' name, to Him we are most dear
Bless the global family, from islands to former Empires, praying together
For former Holland, Namibia, Nauru, Niger, Nigeria, some named "North"
One changed to Eswatini (Swaziland, Greece ... in my "E" and "G" lists)
Last but certainly not least, North Macedonia, linked to Alexander the Great
LORD, show mercy to us all, in Jesus' Name, to those "named and unnamed"
NOTE: I have not structured this form with iambic feet or any other meter. I found this form suits my faith in Jesus as LORD, closest to how I feel: SONnet
Namibia is a beautiful extravagant nation
Home to the largest cheetah Population
Thanks to the cheetah conservation
A non profitable organization
Funded by a public donation
Our sole purpose is education
Research and wildlife protection
The aim is to uplift a generation
And lead them in a direction
Where they start looking at wildlife with a
different perception
This will take innovation
Hard work and dedication
To keep our objectives in motion
And slowly but surely achieve our mission
With pride , teamwork and passion
Being part of the cheetah conservation
You become a key solution
A daily motivation
And a life time inspiration
My personal suggestion
Is less talk more action
Improving communication
Spreading wildlife information
And finding the best accomodation
For cheetahs in any location
For those that contribute to our Vision
With sincere respect and appreciation
Thank you for your contribution
Windhoek, 2000
Nabucodonosor! thou shouldst be living at this epoch:
Namibia hath desire of thee: she is a quagmire
Of quiet rainwaters: slab, blade, and cage,
Inglenook, the courageous fortune of manor and retreat,
Have sacrificed their primeval culture talent.
But those who came before us will teach us.
They will teach us from the wisdom of former generations.
When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago.
But looking back we do not find what we left behind.
Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real
Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by
Until all our emphasis befits
The creatures we used to be,
The gaffes we made in our lifetime.
Oh, if only we could see
What we are now that we were then?
May memory restore again and again
The tiniest tint of the minutest era:
Past is the school in which we learn,
Antiquity is the intensity in which we burn.
There's a realm of astuteness in our previous.
Our souls are lost and tossed like a ship unruddered in a shoreless sea.
Our lifecycle is a flair, a gift that only we can give.
Why waste something so precious.
Namibia my country my pride
I shall forever be by your side
The landscapes and people are the things I adore
But there is still more to explore in store
Through the pain strain and vain
I still remain focused to maintain my nation
The future is growing near and it’s clear
As a country we approach it with no fear
My desire is to inspire this Namibian empire
And light a fire in the valley of success
So all citizens will be able to express
Their minds ideology into a clear psychology
All we need is unity, stability and the ability
To strive for opportunity in every community
Have You
I’ve been around and about awhile
Seen pain cogently hidden by a smile
I’ve seen the concluding moments of the day
Saw clouds roll away as blue turned to grey
Have you?
Felt so dearly loved and loved in return
Saw joy and tears enough to fill an urn
Tasted bitterness incited by a bitter heart
Saw compassion enter and acrimony depart
Have you?
Been blissfully partnered, enough respect to atone
Until a parting of my better half, heart turned to stone
For a fleeting moment that feeling would remain
Felt that comforting sweet assurance, we’ll meet again
Have you?
Sojourned in Namibia this beautiful blessed land
Saw its majestic undulating dunes it’s faraway strand
Found in its people an abundance of caring and love
Healing virtue hovering over me like a snow white dove
Have you?
Ultimately my very soul momentously satisfied
Realised this was nothing else but grace personified
Finally I depart a downward glance till I lose the view
I am content we’ve made memories and good ones too
Have you?
There's a place on the globe that everyone's heard
and the place is 'God knows where',
but instead of a phrase God gave it a word
and the word is 'Solitaire'
At each compass point lies blistering sand
under blue relentless sky
not the best location you can understand
for the World's very best apple pie.
For they serve it here with an ice cold beer
just pick it up and hold it in your thumbs
and keep an eye out for the Weaver birds near
as they forage on the table for the crumbs.
There's a gas station and a general store
anyone dropping by never stays
and you can see just why, in the lot nearby
all the vehicles have seen better days.
Check your car's got gas, and the water level's high
if you leave and break down, you'll be dead
but just remember to take with you Moose MacGregor's apple pie
then at least you will die well fed.
Feb 11th 2016
A memory of my time in Solitaire, Namibia, and THE world's best Apple Pie.
I can see why they stuck it in a desert. Otherwise there'd be none left.
For contest 'Take a vacation', sponsored by Lin Lane
Stock-still in gold dawn light while many sleep,
perched, scanning, on abandoned termite heap.
Expectant, skin tingles as in cold breeze
contrasting with the stillness of the trees.
The tracking beeper focuses our minds
as aerial picks target from behind.
Cheetah ten yards away now caught off guard
upwind of us, head cocked and staring hard.
Long looks exchanged,unspoken things are passed
and finally, spell broken, goes at last.
Reeling, those breathless minutes went so fast.
A memory of my time in Namibia, 2009, and the above
photo was taken by me. We nicknamed him 'Blackeye'. No fence between us. Awesome.
13th January 2016
For contest 'Spectacular Acrostic', by John Hamilton
On my way to the Northern of Namibia,
between Kalkveld and Otjiwarongo,
I saw a woman next to the road,
a tall, battered figure, with blood-stained cloths,
eyes glows yellow in the light of moon,
long pointed teeth in a red colored mouth,
feet that ended in claws rather than toes.
Frightened, I start praying,
met by an unnatural cold,
sweating profusely, unable to stop shaking,
the temperature around me plummeted,
my heart hammered so hard it hurt my ribs,
I shrieked in fright and slammed on my brakes,
I screamed as she leapt at my window,
her clawed hands striking the glass,
I put my foot down on the accelerator,
and the car leapt forward,
she ran alongside the car,
keeping up easily and striking at me again and again.
Red light swirled around her like mist,
and she pointed after me,
her mouth moving though I could not make out the words.
I jerked my attention back to the road,
afraid what might happen to me if my car ran off the road.
I made it to Otjiwarongo in record time
and flung myself out of the car,
pounding on my uncles door frantically,
looking behind me to see if the demon-faced woman had followed me.
Dune 45 Is Not Near Mars
Dune 45 lies in the shadow of orange dark sand
Namibia knows distances, drifts and winds
Granular miles by car and camels heat
Earth knows Mars is far away as well
225 million km., remote, equally removed
Strange, sterile, in accordance with dune patterns
Never troubled by populations
Visitors are few and far between
No inhabitants at either place. Never in the way
Voids make for good bed fellows
By the dunes of Earth and Mars
Half hidden in the shade, sun rises
Beaches understand distances
There is more to life than sand
Dune 45 lies in the dark of an orange shadow
Lined up with others along isolation's path
Sun lends a helping hand
Covers such matters in desert meandering heat
NOTE:
(I hope you can find time to watch and listen. Please follow this link.)
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Namib-Naukluft+National+Park+photography&form=hphot2#view=detail&mid=2BB6E4383BBA36AECCE12BB6E4383BBA36AECCE1
The rain, thunder and lightening gods laugh
Playing football on the plains of heaven
Their little faces glowed white
In the light.
The river rock-rimmed creek-lets on the earth
Mountains, the sources of rivers breathing icy bliss
Teensy snow creek diamond-glittered
And the inorganic granite eaten down.
People slept on river’s banks
Drank from soiled streams
Grains cooked in rock-flour glacier water
Dirt left on boulders
For a sandy heap of years.
Over two decades have passed
Those locations are still all standing
Nature has a way of taking back what’s hers
The dust storms consuming what’s left
Of this eerie ghost town.
+++
Inspired by a true event:**The German miners founded a thriving community in Namibia in 1908 after the discovery of diamonds in the area but in 1954, it lost its final battle with constant drifting sands once the last occupants deserted the area. Now it has been converted into a tourist attraction. **
+++++++
April 30, 2014
Form: Free Verse
Dr. Ram Mehta
Third Place win
Contest: Diamond Dust-Devil by Skat-A
Patriotism
BY HEROLD OSMOND OWOSEB
As the rays of the sun fades away
A new form of reality comes of age
Sparkles of light come alive
And fill my bedroom window
It reflects the reality I face everyday
But amazingly I do not face it alone
On every street corner
And every bus stop
We share the same feeling
One word describes it, “Patriotism”
A sense of loyalty and pride
Pride in a beautiful, peaceful country
Namibia a flower along the streams
Filled with living water
Protected by a powerful Immortal King
A beautiful landscape
A place where the desert meets the sea
My country, Our country, Namibia 8 May 2012
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