sand stories

The poem from my nature solo this week is dedicated to the memory of John Winter, past Curator of Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town. John passed away on 8 April at the age of 77. I worked at Kirstenbosch towards the end of John’s long career in the Gardens, and remember him for his quiet twinkle and his dedication to the Gardens.

Christ Church in Kenilworth was full to overflowing yesterday as many came to celebrate the life of this honourable man who has left an exceptional legacy (as John Rourke stated in his tribute). The Rev Jo Tyers reminded us that Christ had gone to prepare rooms for the faithful in Heaven. With John’s arrival, there is no doubt that the Heavenly gardens too will be magnificent.

Sand stories

In my palm lies
evidence
of overlooked lives.
Sea snails and crustaceans
ancient and modern,
unrecognised, unsung.

In life, faithful to your niches;
now you form
a humble admixture
with pulverised mountain.

You bear my body,
receive my footprints
as I pass through this
present moment.

Overwhelmed
I sense your affordance
of my passage …
acknowledge my own
forgetfulness.

So many lives …
I see you now.
I honour you all.