Elephant Safari in Africa
A safari holiday should be on everyone’s wish list of life’s greatest adventures. In Swahili, the euphonious everyday language of East Africa, the word itself translates to “going on a journey”. In the age of Hemingway this meant going upcountry, setting off with a tent and a rifle into the back of beyond where the wild things are. But the “hunt” has changed dramatically! Guns are not the “weapon” of choice. A camera and a keen eye and your adventure in the bush takes on a whole new feel, offering a gentler but no less thrilling introduction to the last place on earth where wildlife exists in its old abundance.
The purpose for going on safari has not changed. The desire to reach out and touch the wild, to spend time in the sun and under the stars and come face to face with Africa’s storybook animals, not behind bars but moving free as the wind across the savannah – these are what make this a holiday like no other.
So, don your pith helmets and break out your words using them to capture the beasties of the African wild, or the sights and sounds of safari country.
Phoenix Rising Poetry Guild 
SAFARI
Come with me
past the cultured trees,
there to see
creatures free;
come, embrace the wilderness
while it still can be.
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So true, William. Hope it does not just become destruction.
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July 16 – An African Safari
Lions and Tigers and Giraffes, Oh My!
No passport required
No shots and no flights
Just a ways down the road
Awaits wonderful sights
A most fabulous safari
A jungle packed full
Board the trams for the trek
Through an African jungle
Lions on the hillside
Tigers roaming free
Giraffes craning long necks
For food from the trees
Hippos and elephants
Crocs on the rocks
And even exotic birds
That sound like they talk
This Animal Kingdom
Down Kissimmee way
Is so well constructed
Even doubters will say
Once off this safari
This was the real deal
Everything in this jungle
Was authentically real
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Hmmmm… I didn’t figure Florida for wilderness, but there it is.
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Elephants lumber
Hyenas slumber
Lions slink in search of prey
Chimpanzees hang out
Meerkats look about
Giraffes amble with a sway
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I found myself singing this, and Wimoweh. Love it.
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SHOOTING ELEPHANTS
Surly pachyderms squirm
in the hot sun; no fun
when Bwana comes
for adventure and ventures
a bit close to the pack
on parade. Impressive,
the excessive trumpeting
seems a call to arms.
All the charm you’ve ever
herd. It’s absurd, but you raise
the sight to your eye
to prepare for your shot.
You have one chance to
bag the big one. It’s more fun,
since you left the rifle stateside.
Better f-stops than f-bombs
when the behemoth charges.
The elephants are less fidgety
since you went digital!
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Talk about squirming…this one had me till the closing lines! Nicely done, Walt! 🙂
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😉 Thanks, Hannah!
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Apprehensive at first, I was happy to see Walt come through.
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[…] PHOENIX RISING JULY P.A.D. TRAVELOG – DESTINATION: POETRY (AFRICAN SAFARI) […]
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Searching the Horizon
Elephants and Trees
emotive profiles on gold
both black silhouettes.
Copyright © Hannah Gosselin 2015
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Up Close
Unlike the he-man hunters
of Hemmingway’s day,
I see a safari as a means
of observing wonders
of wildlife, free
roaming animals in
an environment
of their choice.
No bars, no confinement,
no restrictive behavior.
A gentle giraffe loping
along, the black and white
stripes of the zebra,
a lion’s mane flowing
as powerful legs carry
him forward. A camera
stills the motion; memory
keeps it alive, constantly
moving in graceful stride.
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