An invited presentation at a private poetry workshop, during Summer 2004, in Northeast Tanzania, Africa, offered me an opportunity to visit Mt. Kilimanjaro. I was speechless to view the co-existence of coffee and banana fields, lush green forests, grasslands with shrubbery, small mosses and lichens, along with glaciers and volcanic peaks. Snow and rocks above 15,000 feet continues to attract global travelers, and such opulent diversity in Nature still floats in my memory lane.
'Trick or trek' was an invitation
From Tanzania, by the African host-
At the end of poetry sessions,
And I was given the honor to toast!
Being a novice trekker,
I was reluctant to take a chance-
But the vision of Mt. Kilimanjaro
Glittered my imaginations to dance!
Studied deeply before I left home,
About this beauty with bite-
And learned to tackle attitude,
Aptitude, and altitude or height!
Highest mountain in Africa,
Kilimanjaro is an extinct volcano for years-
But it's the most massive in the world,
To enchant our hearts with joy and fears!
Copious snow extends on long gullies,
Eroded in mountain sides-
And impacts the nearby rivers,
To show beauty of ebb-tides!
'Kibo', the summit crater, provokes
The speechless wonder reign-
While 'Uhuru', the highest peak in Africa,
Rattles the writers' pen!
'Mawenzi', the third highest peak,
Is intriguing as an elder cone-
And requires rock/ice climbing skills,
That may be needed to hone!
Kilimanjaro stands alone
Among the mountains on Earth-
And solitary volcano roars proudly
To open its hearth!
Impeccable beauty of Kilimanjaro
Reveals five ecological zones-
From tropical to alpine, you name it,
And arouse the majestic tones!
Spectacular diversity from scrub-lands
To lush forests to flowering tundra for sure-
Speaks well about beauty of Kilimanjaro,
And provokes tricking or trekking to endure!!
