This is Africa – A Poem

Dawn in Africa and another set of tracks
Morning sun glinting off the hippos’ backs
Wild dogs running and hunting in packs
The thrill of the chase and the kill the climax

This is Africa, the cry of a fish eagle
The pomp of a warthog, tail up and regal
And down below the mighty dung beetle
Of the African wilderness, there can be no equal

This vast dusty continent is the place of dreams
Of morning mists and lone sunbeams
The quiet savanna more alive than it seems
And crocodile-laden rivers that began as mountain streamsThere’s another leopard print fresh in the sand
And my heart beats louder than a brass band
I know this is Eden, the ultimate wonderland
Home to the world’s grandest wetland

Now a franklin runs scared in front of the vehicle
And a cheetah speeds past always unreachable
The roar of a lion to remind us he’s unbeatable
It’s as old as time yet still unbelievable

There’s another sign of life, an elephant scratching post
Some of these animals are as quiet as a ghost
Yet they’re all over these parts from coast to coast
And to the world’s greatest spectacle Africa plays the host

The warning call of an impala, the scent of a lion
They normally come at night under the belt of Orion
There’s the baobab and acacia and a small dandelion
My thoughts will never leave Africa though they’ve been trying

Just one more sunset is what I desire
Afternoons in the bush, nights by the fire
A drink in the hand and stories that inspire
It’s a land of passion, the great amplifier

You feel so alive, the opposite of numb
To the magic of Africa, I’ll always succumb
Its people and places have me under its thumb
And my heart will always beat to an African drum