Kalahari Solitude

I wonder through 

the Kalahari endless dunes

a solitary figure

lost in desolate region

like an island adrift 

in a sea of sand 

surrounded by loneliness

with no land in hand 

no herons take flight, 

no sweet thorns provide shade,

no lakes cool waters offering

a drink from the arid-scape.

Longing for bright hues not blues.

But here, even gemsbok cucumbers

refuses to break through.

I don guise of a desert rose

a short-lived pulchritude

in this harsh, barren repose.

I will pretend to thrive, 

to bloom in this bleak land 

a resilient dreamer, 

with a heart that still expands. 

Flowers

Flowers like you 

are not easily loved 

for they refused to please the crowd 

nor by affection like discounted goods

they won’t mortgage their fragrance for approval

their strength lies within, through fragile inside

they fight battle in silence 

and their victory echo far and wide. 

Flowers like you

don’t often live long lives

many bloom and fade so young, 

the earth has no room,

for those who dare to be different.