This fairly easy to discern
sprouting in the lofty Angolan highlands
the mighty river
winds down its way southwards
skirting the mined areas around the benguela
and cuito cuanavale
scene of a massive Cuban-inspired triumph
over expansionist villains of the apartheid regime
and moving further south
through koevoet training grounds
of northern Namibia
and the intrepid caprivi strip
the Okavango breaks rank with
the linyati
outside the town of rundu
The latter heading westwards
towards katima mulilo
while on its final journey
the Okavango makes its forced entry
Into the north-western corner of Botswana
amid a stormy torrent
over popa falls
and in its yet persistent southern push
both man and nature feed off it
sustaining a motley of cosmopolitan
and 'colourful'
if displaced cultures
from herero-mbanderu
in flowing Victorian gabardines
which induce a swift
and perceptible sense of de ja vu
through to the dreadlocked and clay-clad hambukushu-himba
onto the lanky yei fisherman
steering a retired german couple
in his dug-out canoe
on whose narrow deck he stands uptight
oar rowing the water below
then further downstream
the fabled river brings you upon the 'river bushman'
similarly feeding off its fish
whereupon
bereft of its seaward drive
the Okavango recoils
swells up
and cracks open
squandering its doubled-up bounty
onto the arid sands of its distant cousin
the ancient Kalahari
whence time ever art so still...
"Outpouring..."
It was playing In my head
persistently
Earlier in the evening
As I jumped into the metsimotlhabe combi
After another hectic day at work
And immediately
I started jotting down some lines
Combi notes
So I call them
But for all my troubles
Trying to rehearse it
stanza by stanza
it still would not assume any defined form
nothing definite
till I sat down
at last
to tease it out
slowly but surely
from its nest
up there...
