the dawn of civilization

In the spring of 2004 I was blessed to have visited South Africa and Botswana with my brother Sam and my poppa Al. Africa, the land where it all began, yup, us humans. The journey was a blend of grand disparities and radical, hmm, racial similarities, malicious realities and compassionate understanding between the diverse animal populations (us human race included, lest us not forget!) that populate southern africa.

From the racial hatred scarred into the history of South Africa to the recent hope of love and understanding between peoples, between colors. Like the daily search for food in the Okavango Delta of Botswana- lions, zebras, giraffes and little bees trying to put food in their mouths. A flower, a tree or maybe a kudu to track down, hunt, maul and feast. And the result of that- days long mating sessions between lions and lionesses, birds feeding mouth to mouth their little ones.

Life is that balance, that good, that bad, cause truly if we didn't have one would we even know the other if we saw it. If it was in front of us.

This week in the big apple of the usa was warm, temps rising, glaciers melting for sure. Stories came at me from all angles- cats hating on one another at my bro's college in conneticut cause of skin tones, change on the political front- way tardy like the onset of this autumn, a young girl who doesn't get to see her mum often leaping into her young mother's arms- so happy to be with moms.

"Togetherness will ever grow," grooves the lyric from the reggae track steaming and streaming through this ordinateur. "We don't want no warmongers over there! Na, na, na, na, na, na, na I 'n' I shall be, happy n free when I reach the other side of the mountain! Yeah!!"

This is the Okavango Delta, Botswana, Spring 2004.

Love and health to all...