Zambezi Poems

Zambia Was My Mother

Zambia was my mother—
shaped like a butterfly resting in the heart of Africa,
her wings curved not by nature alone,
but by the lines of empires
who came to take what was never theirs.
They called her Northern Rhodesia,
after tasting the sweetness of her soil
and stealing the copper from her veins.

Her rivers run wild with spirit—
the Zambezi roaring with ancient songs,
Victoria Falls spilling the Smoke that Thunders,
blessing the weary and healing the broken.

She faces the Scorpio Sun,
and her children, like copper,
are strong yet quiet—
holding centuries in their silence.

Kenneth Kaunda once walked her soil,
weeping for Africa when she was in chains,
rejoicing when she rose again.

Zambia holds the bones of my ancestors
and the dreams of the unborn.
Her wilderness breathes with lions,
her sunsets bleed crimson into the night.

Africa cradles her,
and she cradles me.
When I return to dust,
let me rest in her copper-red earth—
for Zambia was my Mother,
and Africa is my Heaven.

The River

The river

When the river is pure, 
They throw gold and silver,
They throw their mud there,

When the river is dirty,
They come to drink with us,

Little by little, they defile the water,
In our turn, we dream of the Zambezi,
From the Niger River.








La rivière

Quand la rivière est pure, 
Ils y jettent or et argent,
Ils y jettent leur boue,

Quand la rivière est sale,
Ils viennent boire chez nous,

Petit à petit, ils souillent l’eau,
À notre tour, nous rêvons du Zambèze,
Du fleuve Niger.

'Current' Statements on Kariba Dam

Zambezi's strength rules
who can harness our river?
electricity from water?
Nyami, Nyami

Kariba Dam damaged
by six decades of water
the Tonga tribes celebrate
Nyami, Nyami

May 10, 2022

Joseph May's contest on Naani.

Two naani of 24 syllables each
current statements about currents

When the Kariba Dam was built on the Zambezi, the Tonga people had doubts.
The dam was built on gneiss and quartzite and is made of concrete — 80 feet at its thickest point. But over six decades of the waters' rushing through it, tumbling over it and crashing down on its other side have carved a pit at its base and erosion threatens its foundations.  July 22, 2020
The very thought of a naani about Nyam Nyami sparked my muse.
It is the River God of the Tonga people.

I Look Through the River

In the realm of the mighty Chobe-Zambezi,
Where once we thought blessings flowed freely,
I used to look through the river, deep and dazzling,
Its currents whispering stories untold,
Mild and bold, the air's gentle caress,
Looming over a navy sky, a silent witness.
But now the river is a place of torment,
Devouring my people like a beast of prey,
One by one, claimed by its hungry depths,
Beneath our days and nights, are sorrowing weeps,
A thriving community silenced by the tide,
Faces veiled by the watery shroud.
I stand on the shore, uncertainty in my gaze,
Tracing ripples with weary eyes,
Searching for answers in the abyss,
Stories swallowed by the black depth,
I look through the water, praying for reprieve,
Hoping for the river's thirst to be quenched,
Yearning for the lives it has ended to be set free.
In this water-logged tunnel of despair,
Dreams and hopes lost in the murky flow,
I wish for the Chobe to be still,
For the river to fade into memory,
I look through the river, longing for peace,
For the souls it has taken to find release.

Call Me Africa

Call me Africa,
The land of the ancient chiefs 
That lie in ruins.
Iam the sun-scorched plains
And the roar of Mosi oa tunya.
Iam the rolling hills
And the lush green valleys
Where rainclouds come to rest
And the mopane is plentiful.
Call me Africa!
Iam the roar of the lion
Sending waves of fear
Through the land and scattering his prey.
Iam the beat of the drum
In the dead of the night
Evoking the spirit of the supreme God
For showers of benediction
Upon our ancestral lands.
Iam Africa,
The battered and bruised young girl
Molested by the hands of colonisers.
With bleeding knees and her pride in tatters
She hobbles on.
The future is dark and uncertain
But she is a woman ,she will overcome.

Mosi Oa Tunya

The mosquitoes were dancing outside net,
Singing their treacherous songs of death;
“Let us in, we need your blood”.

I rose and rushed out of 
The brick and pole cottage
From liquid waste demands,
Having been carousing in solitude
Till evening.

A daunting huge elephant treated itself
To ivory-honey fruit from tall trees,
The flapping of ears denoted peace,
It was in invasion of my residence.

Even in the full moon that night,
The smoke could be seen rising
Against the star studded sky,
There, where the Zambezi waters plunge
Into deep gorges,
My heart whispered,
Again, welcome to Victoria Falls.

Wood With a Mellow Breath

With palms so chaste and a grip so pure
She wraps her fingers around the mallets
Letting them sit in the space between her thumbs and first fingers;
When she makes her first few strokes
Hammering smoothly up and down,
There is no other sound but 
a breast of ribs whose mopane mellows the ear
And a throat of cigarette paper 
whose hum somewhat bellows unto the heart;
Then she sings a ballad of two lovers whose clans forbid it,
Soon the astound trees rustle in accord,
Her voice is a wrench that loosens the valves in my eyes;
Tears collecting with the first few words,
I wish my lover was here with me.
After thirteen stanzas, my lonely eyes leak with homesick-tears ...
Deep in the ridging belly of the Zambezi valley, 
A lily of the Kariba has found 
grace in her hand with the xylophone. 


17/07/17
Copyright © All Rights Reserved

Africa

The black panther; no spots for fear,
Accustomed by the frails of the forests, 
To the long stretch of the Nile, 
Such beauty, I marvel at. 
Grazed fields, wetting bullock's appetite 
For the savannah- a stone throw in distance to the mighty Sahara! 

Oh! Africa! What a mighty creed envelopes your wits! 
In strength and might, she stands unequalled! 

Daunting cultures via tribes, 
Stretches the Zambezi river, 
Encombed by the beauty of the Niger, 
These caves of treasure brews heritage; 
Of untold generations. 
 The moonlight stories savour our bellies; 
 For each morsel we ingest; joy beams.
 The scent mild one's thought; for our meal trickles away the temptation of the past! 
 
 Such panther irks the spirits of conquerors.
 Oh Africa!

Son of the Sun

Applauses were even, numbers and faces were odd.
Clay was molded and fate washed her palm
Sentences were bold as my story was told.
One of a rusty heart of iron stitches
One of haggard feet of million hitches.
The flames danced bright and night was light
Chalices were of pumpkin and flutes of cane
Rites were roots, skins were dried and drums were drums
Arms were flags gliding on in the ululations
Chitenges were of savanna and tongues were of the zambezi. 
Hisses were blisses and kisses were riches
Smiles were fireflies and pals were butterflies  
Years had piled, miles were fat, feet was bare and dust lost lust
In kisses were riches and in stitchings were teachings
My fist rattled a straw in the condensed country breeze.
First of the sun and last of the sand
Of elephant heart and eucalyptus will
The tomb was torn, bones made skeleton and from earth crawled legacy.
This cage is sheath, these ribs cradle an epitome of the African Child.

River of Life

Six to eight African nations
count on the powerful Zambezi.
Rightly called their river of life -
its wilderness lets wildlife roam free.

Batoka Gorge attracts tourists as
Victoria Falls' wet smoke thunders.
Two dams provide hydroelectric pow'r
but many in south Africa wonder -

What "dam"age would another one bring?
Does an ecosystem have a right to
freedom from economic encroachment? 
Think what a Zambezi Seaway might do?

started February 27, 2017, revised April 3, 2017
with rhyme and new focus.

Sticks and Stones

If you are cathedral of consecration
I'm the voluminous chime summoning souls 

If you are the moonglade mountain peak 
I'm the fedora of snow atop you

If you are the bantam flame of hope 
I'm the mammoth lantern you sit in

If you are the magnificent crown of laurel
I'm the koh-i-noor glowing your majesty 

If you are the whorly petals of the gypsy-sue
I'm the daggerlike thorns of flaw

If you are the bard of the Zambezi 
I'm the first sonnet of your anthology

If you are the mythical firebird
I'm the scarlet embers of reincarnation 
 
If you are the forsaken pirate ship
I'm the glubs of your drowning 

If you are the ancient persian pearl
I'm the millions carats speaking your worth

If you are the sacred vial of eternity
I'm the gluck to the kingdom come 

If you are cathedral of consecration
I'm the open arms of the door of mercy

Beautiful Africa

Dainty queen undevoured
Bride of the rising sun
Beautiful Africa, 
The savor of thy fragrance
Calls my tongue to sweet ballads!

Your velvet skin carved in black gold
On your loins do diamonds glow
Your perfume is the silky oil of Cairo
And your smile is like the sun
Upon the hills of Kilimanjaro.

From the Nile to the Niger,
Orange to Zambezi,
Hypopo to the Congo,
Beneath your mounds are treasures
That oozes beyond measures.

Africa my Africa,
Daughter of the ancient days
Sister of the untamed braves
Hunter of the thousand forests
Goddess of the black race
How much I love thy gaze!

Here my lady,
A sandal of precious stones
For our moonlight dance
On your carpet of liquid ore,
Oh Africa , my Africa!

I Love Africa

I love Africa, my beautiful Africa
I can roam in the bushes
I can run up the mountains
Down the valleys
Across the plains
Or get lost in the forests
Or the caves
I can soak the sun
On the sand at the beach 
Or bake in the desert sun
Until I should find an oasis
I can stand on the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro 
And if that is too tall 
I can try the difficult Mt. Kenya
And touch the floating cloud
I can swim in the ocean or in the lake 
Or in the dam or pond or paddle
I can also swim in the Nile or the Congo 
Or the Niger or the Zambezi or the Limpopo
Or a thousand other rivers 
I can catch kamongo in Lake Victoria 
Or the bream on Lake Tanganyika or Malawi 
Or bait the tiger fish in Kariba or Cahora Bassa
I can mine diamonds in Congo or Chiadzwa 
Dig for gold in Ghana or Tanzania
Or just pick gems and cowry shells wherever I roam
From Cape to Cairo and from Timbuktu to Mombasa
Or just in my dreams.

Nyami, Nyami

Redoubtable, unparalleled
Victoria Falls displays the
power of the Zambezi  River.

Carving through basalt rock
from an ancient volcano the Zambezi  
deserves the awesome accolades of its
native audience - the Smoke that Thunders.

Work more trenchant still, this river
provides subsistence, protection,
and inspiration for people in six
southern African nations.
The Zambezi  is rightfully called
their river of life, christened by
their hallowed, Nyami, Nyami!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria5.jpg

I Love Nature 1

Zebra,Donkey,Giraffe,Hippo,Elephant
Mango,Hibiscus,Neem,Baobab
Zambezi,Nile,Euphrates,Kafue
Victoria,Ontario,Tanganyika,Bangweulu
Everest,Kilimanjaro,Nanga Parbat
Red Sea,Mediterranen Sea
Pembrokeshire coast park
Victoria Falls
Lochinvar hot springs

chipepo lwele
PS;the reminder of the natural world around us.
     the poem about animals, plants,rivers,lakes
     ,mountains,seas ,waterfalls and hot spring.

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