Remember :: Morocco

Adhan permeated the red dusty air 
Marrakech maze-like foreboding lair 
Every wall reaching out for God's trees
Seasoned doors cloak mysterious narratives 

Street as wide as trio of donkeys
Snaked their way into veiled parties 
Latticed souks cast sun dappled faces
Recall paths or lose all traces 

Met Muhammad, who emulated calm 
Ran a herb shop with brimful of charm
The scent infused a dizzying dose 
Shared mint tea in a squat stool pose 

Chameleon perched on lapis lazuli heaped bowl
Our meeting made my spirit grow
His name, Michael Jackson, we were told 
His host did not seek his wares to be sold

Chicken feathers floated slowly still 
My eyes watered from the ticklish spill 
Clucking echoes silenced in a butcher's hold 
Blood drips down to the filled potholes

Sit idly observing from the balcony
Down to Djemas-El-Fnaa hived with the colony 
Lamb tagine, almonds and prunes 
Colour, energy, vibrancy festooned 

The square animated with busyness 
Letters typed under the shady trees
Knife sharpeners with their stone wheel bikes
Handmade goods creaked the steel framed trikes 
 
Tricksters corralled fools into tanneries 
Dominique advised to avoid being casualties 
Some experiences are worthwhile 
But some just causes the bile to rile 

Through the maze we were led by a guide
A lone torch danced with gaiety and plight 
Minotaur horns layered darkened patterns 
The centre, a black laced gate flanked by silver lanterns 

Women greeted us at the end 
Who poured warm water onto our hands
Twelve hour veal in communal oven 
Orange blossom infused almond 

Milk sprinkled with cinnamon
Small pretty dishes bequeath love in bosom 

Remember :: South Africa

Sabi Sabi's dawn air crisp and fresh 

Goosebumps form upon my flesh 
Jeep kicks up dust behind its tail
Peach painted sky for a safari tale

Front left, tracker Mike perched
Like a meerkat he observed
A slight shadow in the horizon 
Becomes an anticipated exclamation 

The rule cast in the minds down deep
Forbidden to stand on the jeep
The thought of being prey
Made the soul fray 
 
Across the dashboard the rifle straddled
A mere prop as it rattled 
As the knobbly wheels turned
My love for life churned 

Hiding behind my camera
A world framed so clear
The chance may not be repeated I fear
Silenced shutters breathe these moments so dear 

Elephants' eyelashes snapped memories 
Muybridge's frames tell beautiful stories 
Immeasurable size unnoticed with their grace 
The herd reassured peace with their embrace 

Juvenile male flapped and charged 
By a trunk length he appeared large
The jeep sprang into life to admit defeat
My heart thumped out of its cavity

Buffaloes jaws sway tick tock 
Facial attention from ox pecker flock
Swish their tails in metronome's sway
Feathered friends whisper riddles in their ears all day 

Warthog family with flagpole tails
Front knees erect without fail
Wave their allegiance to the land  
March with gregarious Cape starling band 

Paw prints led us to a silent hush
Weaved through the bushes in a rush
Eyeless needles endless collide
Perseverance gifted us the pride 

The rule broken with the giraffes
Our silent walk on the long long grass
Our thoughts begin to roam
Keen eyes watching, not our own

So small, so blessed
So alive, so in love 

Remember :: Croatia

Aboard the train in Zagreb 
The gypsies' pungent pong grabbed
Our throats as we succumb 
To imagined floods of dread.
Bragging their bags of plunder 
All eye contact surrendered 
In fear we'd be surrounded 

Compartment barricaded 
Worn vinyl seats squeaked and squealed 
Cracked dusty windows rattled
Their sulphuric stench linger 
Not oblivious to danger 

Knock. Knock. "Passport!" he screamed 
In the midst of our swaying dreams 
He appeared with a black briefcase
His facial features were blurred
His existence we only heard?
Our memories remained concussed 
But in the passport stamps we trust

Screeched to a halt into Split
A curly female louse spat
"Zimmer frei" and blocked the exit.
"No thank you" was repeatedly.
Before her hooked pincers closed
DEET was sprayed in deadly dose

When the dawn's verbal storm cleared
We found ourselves asleep
Soundly on white fluffy sheets.
Deafening church bells next door
Burst right through the window panes 
Weaved lullabies into dreams

In slumber we remembered 
Curious children drawn like magnets
Toward oriental Piped Piper.
Accustomed to Germanic invasions
Who lay beached dotted in their vision 

Along Dalmatia's black and white rock faces
Bus driver gambled our lives in a frightening pace
The cross adorned on the window flashed in his face 
As he zig-zagged in the barrier-less race
Prayed negotiation success on his mobile with the Pope

Dubrovnik's pock marked walls
Told silent stories of those who fell
Contrast with the old man in black
Licking his ice cream as the pigeons pecked
Crumbs between peaceful cobbled cracks

Steps of Church of Saint Blaise we sat 
Time passed as we people watched
"12 o'clock" I whispered
Someone watching us too we feared.
In realisation of the glare of a scarecrow in gear
In stitches we endured and teared