Africa Breathing

[Gavin Tonks]

Africa Breathing

Original poem by Gavin Tonks rev 1 14/03/2011

1

Africa breathing

your air,

storms, dark thundering  hooves and lightning

in creation’s maw.

Rain and life

beat down upon me.

The hard packed, dry earth, wet splattered,

dark blood red, earth images,

underneath my flesh feet, made from rain.

Original pagan power, magic, stretches forth,

 Goats, cows, lions and snakes bare foot ancient people and thorns.

My skin, organs and body made from their same earth, their water, now my flesh.

2

Stamping feet, on the luminous land, watched, through, an orange worshipped moon,

dark shadows lie, growing wanting, winter, cold heartless, dry, turning, brown then black burning,

brittle, sharpness underfoot, hunger eats and gnaws, death waiting.

 Clouds, sun hot cracked silence and baked, beater, punisher, hope heart beat,

 lions breathe and antelope pronk, insect scream in the cool, shaded, wind bending reeds.

3

Creation’s quest, triumph, earth, stone, tree, footprint, sky and lonely cosmic visions, dance.

Fire, burning smoke rising trembling, fluttering air, we breathe and die, closed eyes, choking darkness.

Reborn morning light and life, charged full, triumph scorched and blazing.

To breathe in a new African day.

 

[Valentina Akmaldinova]

Incredible feelings after reading -carried away by memories...It's so true,magic and impossibly beautiful! Thank you very much!

[Gavin Tonks]

Thanks you that is very kind of you to say so

[Gavin Tonks]

Thank you for the very kind words much appreciated

[Sharon Lee Goodhand]

I thoroughly enjoyed lingering with your richly composed poetic tale. What thrill to read.