Gloria D. Gonsalves, also fondly known as Auntie Glo, is author of children’s stories and a poet. Her poetry has appeared in various literary magazines, journals, and anthologies in Africa, Europe, and the USA, including being featured five times by the National/Global Poetry Writing Month (Na/GloPoWriMo). She has four poetry collections: Even Flowers Know That Water is Useless Without Roots (2023), Let’s Go Walking in the Storm (2020), Let’s Go Dancing in the Light (2017), and Mists of Sense Require Fierce Poesy (2014). She is also the founder of WoChiPoDa.com, an initiative to instill the love of poetry in children.
The views from where I am sitting:
The Strait of Gibraltar runs to Africa,
the shore is a curve of reddish brown,
the kites are a swarm of butterflies,
and the lighthouse is a whale’s blowhole.
Across the shimmering of turquoise,
I seek the point at the Tarifa Island
where Mediterranean meets Atlantic.
The pine trees bend toward downhill,
as if to tell me, “Over there—there it is.”
I wave across the ocean at Morocco.
I relish fish, tomatoes, olives, and cheese.
I count and contemplate the windmills.
I pick a bouquet of mallows and thistles.
I listen to the cows munching and bells.
It is a windy and sunny day in April
and the sparrows form playful circles
and the eagles glide up and down a cliff
and the hills are dotted in tree poppies
and the meadows are rich with star-thistles.
Tarifa, Spain, April 2024
For other contributions by Gloria D. Gonsalves, please follow the link below:
Poetry in this post: © Gloria D. Gonsalves
Published with the permission of Gloria D. Gonsalves