I live in a very diverse country, with a culture
that stems from many interwoven international
beliefs an cultures as well as the cultures of the
"native" peoples. I live in South Africa, the land of
gold, the protea and rugby. A land of change
and of new growth and development. A land of
opportunity and a land of hope.

I was born here, as were my parents and their
parents before them and, even thought my
skin is white, I am a South African through and
through! There's some amazing thing about
Africa that gets in your blood and no matter
what you can never leave for good, it's almost an
addiction that can not be overcome. The longest
I have been away from my birth-continent is
seven weeks and by the end of that period of
time my heart yearned for the land of my birth,
for Africa and her golden sunsets.

My father worked on the mines in the country
for my entire youth and I have lived almost all
over my wonderful country as a "mine brat".
I now live in Johannesburg, the center of crime,
violence and shopping! I do, however, have a
very soft spot in my heart for the city of
Cape Town, even though I lived there for a
short period of time I fell in love with the city
and the way it made me feel. I felt inspired
to write a lot of poetry during my stay there
and I'd like to share some of it with you.
Enjoy!

Tiny pinpricks of light, fairy lights,
Climb the slopes of the green covered mountain.
Like fallen stars,
Breaking the monotony of the night...

I can barely see the sunset over the mountain,
And in my mind's eye I see it in all its splendour.
Dusky pink, which slowly becomes faded orange,
The colours seem separate, and yet they are one.
Now the peace, tranquillity and beauty are no more,
Until tomorrow...

I am overcome by fatigue and yet before I fall into oblivion,
My mind opens to the beauty of the city around me.
So alive, so sparkling.
I feel it's power and it's peace and
I am overcome by inadequacy.
How can a countryman like me be welcome?
And yet with open arms I am welcomed.
How can I feel so secure?
And yet I feel sheltered.
How can it love me as much as I love it?
And yet every minute of my existence it shows me its love...

The world is at my feet in all its splendour.
Its glittering expanse thrills and daunts me.
I see the faces of those around me, asking,
Helpless faces searching for the answers to questions
They don't know. I feel at peace with the world
I have created for myself.
No one can be blamed for my mistakes and inadequacies.
I am who I am and what I am.
Only I can improve myself,
Only I can destroy myself...

Now for some Myths and Legends...

This one is my favourite, its called: The Tale of the
mighty Baobab. The Baobab tree is magical tree
with a strange history. A long time ago, before the
first human beings, in the time of the creation,
the Gods decided that the earth was bare and
needed something besides the animals. They decided
to cover the earth with plants. They spent many hours
pondering how to distribute the plants and make
the animals respect them. The God of water
suggested that they give they plants to the animals,
each animal would have their own type of plant.
The decision was unanimous and they set out
giving the plants to the animals. The animals
were very happy and they all took good care of their
plants. All except the Hyenas, they were upset because
they were given their plant, the Baobab tree,
last and so they plotted against the Gods. They
planted their tree upside down! They thought it
was very funny, but the other animals did not, so
they were banished to the bottom of the food chain.
The Hyenas didn't understand what had happened
to them and they thought the whole situation
was very funny. That, my friends, is the reason the
Baobab tree looks like its roots are above the
ground and why the Hyenas are always laughing...

Rumours of Rain...

Rain, because of its scarcity, is of strong interest to
the San people, more commonly know as the
"Bushmen". To some of them rain clouds represent
the wrath of the Gods of their culture. Others see
the rain clouds as giant leopards with flashing eyes
and growling throats that need to be respected
and pacified by flattery so that they can in turn
bring rain. All of these peoples do, however
different their understanding, respect the rain for
it is wate and the avalaibility thereof is that on
which their lives depend.

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