Cheeky's Blog ;)

short cropped tussock
dusty dry paths of red
many feet of cattle trod
grilled to rock
under centuries of merciless sun
I walk the path to freedom
an azure blue sky
sinking slowly into haze
follows me with its
late afternoon rays of light
until standing on the horizon
the earth's gentle breath
embracing me
in the lightest of hugs
a world unfurls before me
in the valley below

the cattle herder
staff in hand
leading his herd
back up the valley
to night-time pastures
closer to home
the round herder's hut
inside a fence of sticks
made from the same red earth
he treads each day
past fingers of forest
edged by wildflower medows
where monkeys dance
and raucous birds
sing their chorus
the orange daiker
fleeing through long grass

a boy wanders around the hill
his daily journey
home to the village
dusty jandels slapping
at his heels
a dirty sack of cassava
riding upon his head
his feet knowing the earth
the path they tread
now glowing softly
as the red circle sun
sets into the haze
the sky darkens
a plethorus of siblings
eleven in all
run to greet him
a mosaic of colour
chatter drifiting into the night
as he enters
the single crumbling
mud brick room
his family calls home

an admiration
for the people of this land
their simple life
etched out of the dusty earth