Beyond My Home

-Benji Anstey

---

The evening sun,

in all its orange-red passion,

set on Harare tonight.

As it has every night

since before these roads were paved

and its people chose

to settle this introspective wetland.

The evening sun,

in all its life giving warmth,

set on Harare tonight.

But this city is not cold.

The sun is gone but

the temperature has remained

unaltered & unaffected.

For Cosmic bodies do not alter

what they have no domain over.

The evening sun,

in all its omnipresence and omnipotence,

set on Harare tonight.

And yet the temperament

of this city

warms me still.

Is there more to be said?

This is the first city

beyond my home

that I have come to know,

and because of that:

I am blessed.

---

Born and living in Cape Town, this piece was written by the author during a month-long solo trip to Zimbabwe. The intention of the journey was to explore Zimbabwean arts, with a focus on music.

Author's note:

I wrote this poem at Ela the Garden, a live music venue in Harare, Zimbabwe. Blown away by the friendliness and warmth I had experienced in my few short weeks solo-travelling Zimbabwe, I used the opportunity to reflect on the blessing it was to be there.