PERIPHERAL PRESENCE

LOCATION: CHOBE NATIONAL PARK, BOTSWANA

A gifted vision to see this rare beauty,

For such is hard to find even if it is your only duty.

A true splendour of pride, pattern and design,

Held up in the tree she looked divine.

Scouting out to where the land reached the sky,

It sent me in a surreal high,

When I caught her eye.

Enveloped in this moment of still,

My heart raced, as this was a true thrill.

I forgot all the rest,

As if it was only me and her by request.

I felt as though I could hear her breathe,

Matching her pace my pulse came to calm in my skin beneath.

During this stare of solitude and bliss,

My attention on all else was a miss.

When it seemed that the earth sank in to silence,

The moment saw its closure,

As her desired focus shifted to just over my shoulder.

Being detached we have missed the lessons,

That she has learnt through generational sessions.

Be aware and live with care,

For in the wild wood’s essence,

There will always be a peripheral presence.

Pencil on Paper

29.5in x 21.6in

Life-size Subject