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| Photo by Winfried Bruenken |
Kalahari Crossing
Nattered
by tsetse flies,
plagued by malaria,
bedeviled by hunger and thirst,
I sit
beneath
my small shade and
wait, bone-weary, wasting,
as a tyrant sun strolls across
the sky.
© Doraine Bennett
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| Photo by Charles J. Sharp |
Posts
I've been trying some haiku, Dori, attempting to pare down my wordiness, & now your lovely cinquain offers still another way to practice. I love the word 'nattered'. The Kalahari is fascinating to think about isn't it? Thanks for this thoughtful poem.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Linda. Cinquains and Haikus force you to think in small bites.
DeleteHow wonderful to give yourself permission to take the whole month and focus on just one form. I thoroughly enjoyed this sojourn into the desert. "...as a tyrant sun strolls across/the sky" is a brilliant line.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michelle. I hadn't really thought of it as giving myself permission, but yes, that's what I'm learning to do. Permission is such a great accomplishment, isn't it?
DeleteOh that tyrant sun! I've just completed another draft of a survival story set in Death Valley... deserts on my mind! Love this project, Doraine. xo
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear about this project!
DeleteI love the discipline of your goal, and the discipline of the format, Dori. And the use of Nattered" - so perfect.
ReplyDeleteWell, here's to one week, almost of discipline. They say it takes three to build a habit.
DeleteI, too, love "nattered." What made you decide to write about the Kalahari?
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, I wrote a book of reader's theater scripts on explorers. I suppose I chose the topic in the first place because I have always enjoyed explorer tales. But I was really drawn into some of the stories. I've played with different formats with different stories, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The poetry format has just been fun, using different styles and different forms. Anyway, David Livingstone was one who captivated me. He crossed the Kalahari on his first excursion into Africa. Nattered was actually one of his words, and I loved it.
DeleteThat "tyrant sun!" It is wonderful to read this, to think about how writing about a completely new place gives a person a completely new bank of words with which to work. This spare poem matches its subject absolutely perfectly. Thank you...sorry for my late visits this Poetry Friday!
ReplyDelete..."wait, bone-weary, wasting,
ReplyDeleteas a tyrant sun strolls across
the sky."
Gorgeous writing, Doraine! Thanks for sharing your challenge with us.