Night-Star of Sirius, Eastern Cape

With light that is
     brown
     between the toes
and shines on
    the river banks,
it twinkles in the sunlight.
Star of Sirius,
   lapping
Star of Sirius,
    life star,
        watery star
           carrying children over
your tide
swaying rushes
embracing fish
holding frogs
Star of Sirius.
    Night-star of Sirius
    twinkling in the sunlight,
carrying promise.

Grahamstown, 2008

—

This poem is drawn from the “Journeys and Experiences, 2003 – 2008” section of my volume, SHINING IN BRIGHTNESS.

During 2007 – 8, I lectured in art history at a South African university, but spent much time pretending to be a musician. I played the viola in the university orchestra and attended many of the wonderful concerts hosted by the music department. This poem was written in loose, free-form while listening to a jazz piece about the annual flooding of the Nile and the mythological Night-star of Sirius. The location markers, “Eastern Cape” and “2008, Grahamstown,” set an ancient, abstract myth about Africa’s seasonal regeneration in a real geographical realm and time. Of course, the location was the recital room on the second floor of the music department, far away from any riverbank mud.

You can own this poem – and 19 others – when you purchase a copy of my first volume of selected work: SHINING IN BRIGHTNESS. Two explanatory essays accompany the poems and the volume boasts beautiful cover artwork by UK artist, Nicola Slattery. Copies are available via blurb.co.uk.

I am on Twitter as @BeadedQuill. I tweet about poetry, art and culture and martial arts.