Richtersveld

[Chas Lotter]

When we were in the Richtersveld last year, Jonathan scattered his mother's ashes at the Hand of God - an appropriate final resting place for someone who was born in Africa, lived in Africa all her life and died in Africa.

Saying Goodbye

We scattered her ashes, stood silent and
Remembered her, listened as
The empty spaces fell silent, heard the wind fall away, then
Rise again
As it stirred, scattered those last mortal remains there, at the rock
Where God had left His mark
In a Hand upon the stone.

Travelled on to De Hoope, made camp;
Watched the sun slowly sink below the bones of the rocky, bare slope behind us

Then…

As we sat, by the river, a white glow grew, silhouetted the Namibian mountain before us,
Glowed, shone, then glared
As the full moon rose, turned the night to day once more.

My sleeping shadow was shocked back to life, sprang into place behind me as
The full moon cleared the peak, pulled the switch that banished the dark,
Lit the landscape up around us and
Chased away the stars.

Every small detail of our humble camp
Was outlined, in stark, staring relief, as
She rose, dominated the land, sending her light into
Every corner, nook and cranny, and
Turned the river that fronted our camp
Into a shining, silver lake.

The man in the moon, this night, took on a different shape. There in that disk in the sky
Sat the old woman, rocking, rocking away in her ancient chair. Smiling
At us as she rose in the sky.

The magic glowed, embraced us, till
Night turned to day, when, with the moon still high
The sun chased up to the sky, rose from behind that same mountain peak,
Shattered the magic and,
Sent her away – to give us another dawning, fresh day.

[gwj DICKDEKOCK]

Went there when I was 6. Imagine how pissed off my mom and her friend were when they found out their husbands had "misled" them slightly about the availability of things like showers, toilets, or anything at all!I remember how we had to go swim a few hundred meters down the river when the women bathed, so that we could catch the soap and shampoo which would float away every time it slipped out of hand or off the rocks.

We were at Ais Ais as well. I remember the spanking I received from my dad for buying like 500 chappies with all my pocket money!