United We Stand….

October 8, 2017October 8, 2017 Jen

Dedicated to all wildlife enthusiasts coming together across the globe to

stand

Thank you all.

As custodians of this beautiful earth…powerful in our stance

Fighting against extinction….still given the chance

Our lungs exhaling the cool London air

Our combined energy pulsating…as one we share

A passion for these animals and their untamed splendour ….which is ours to protect

Entwined together with nature…..a mutual respect

Across the globe united…an unstoppable force

Doing what is right by these animals

PEOPLE

It is a conscious choice

ARE YOU LISTENING?
DO YOU HEAR THEIR CRIES?

‘Why us?’ the matriarch pleads…sorrow clouding her wise old eyes

‘Is a tusk cursed head enough reason for elephants to die?’

Mystical ivory steeped in greed and fears

A fusion of genes spanning millions of years

Walking with balance and beauty…yet poached for their horn

These animals cruelly left….gasping for life….faces mutilated and torn

Consumers of Rhino horn…..hang your heads in shame

Your demand for rhino horn….inflicting excruciating pain

ARE YOU LISTENING?

A hauntingly lonely road of ghosts…a sea of empty space

Magnificent wild world…disappearing without a trace

PEOPLE

Listen in on their world hear their pleas

No to rhino horn and ivory….a moral decree

Be the change this world needs ….hold your heads high

An echo of harmony…thrown wide to the sky

Teach the children well…they are the future.

Rory Young addressing the crowd in London on 7th October 2017.

Chengeta Wildlife provides essential training and support to the

heroes on the front lines in the fight against poaching

Let Us Do Right By These Animals….

June 27, 2017 Jen

A request for an impromptu talk on the Zimbabwean bush, elephants and Chengeta Wildlife

caught me on the hop. However, after taking a deep breath I started to talk

and the passion I feel for the bush, the elephants and Chengeta begin to shine through.

Let Us Do Right By These Animals

What is it you love? their eager eyes hold mine

I flash a smile…my face softens and I begin to shine

My heart dances to an African Beat

My spirit soars as their eyes I meet

My mind reels away to another time and another place

My pulse quickens and begins to race

Moonbeams spill gently caressing the night

Twinkling stars ghost like whispers of light

Dry leaves crackle…seduced by the a frolicking breeze

Morning twilight peeks softly…as darkness flees

A cacophony of bird calls fills the African dawn

A horizon stitched in gold…glows on the glorious crisp morn

Spiderwebs like fine gossamer sculptures sparkle with dew

Cruising the empty air pockets….a fish eagle with a birds eye view

Nature’s gifts…shared with us for free

Fast flowing rivers….rich diversity of wildlife and gigantic trees

The musky smell of wet earth after thunderstorms and needle like rain

Miracle of new life unfurling….revealing a world of timeless wonders…

A world we should not tame

‘Go on…tell us about the elephants’….they smile

Collecting my thoughts…I pause for a while

Large wrinkled rumps weathered by wind and rain

Pilgrims of Africa….ambling over sun kissed terrain

Ponderous..yet graceful under the wide open sky

Stopping as one…their versatile trunks reaching up high

Long sweeping lashes as dark as a moonless night

Veiling wise eyes flecked with golden sunlight

The earth trembles with each massive tread

Dusty promises …. and by their iconic matriarch led

Africa shaped ears romancing the breeze

These mega gardeners of the veld…uprooting trees

Graced with an ageless beauty…light on their large padded feet

To watch them in the wild..such a life changing treat

I feel my heart hammering…my eyes fill with tears

My stomach turns over and I am overcome with fears

An aura of dignity hugging their sides

Mystery tusks held out wide

Behind their wrinkled visage…a wise and ancient soul

The burden of carrying their ivory…taking its toll

Invisible winds blowing a dry warm breath

Poachers ensuring that elephants dance a dance of death

People….please …. you have to listen and become aware of the elephants plight

Let us do right by these animals…

Support Chengeta

Support the good fight

Rangers risk their lives to protect the wildlife

We give them the skills and knowledge needed to win

Desert Pilgrims

November 11, 2016 Jen

Chengeta Wildlife sharing the knowledge, skills and abilities to enable anti-poaching

units to maintain and perfect competencies after the trainers have departed.

Helping to ensure that Mali’s desert elephants survive.

Fold upon fold of wisdom……undulating gently from side to side

As graceful as dancers…….majestic in their stride

Full of unwavering honesty they saunter….strong and proud

Throwing up flaxen dust……a glorious gossamer cloud

Frisky calves caper….secure in the herds love

Surrounded by warmth and bright sunshine spilling from above

Deep rumbles roll with a thunderous applause

Echos of harmony….as one they pause

Embracing the breeze gently….large ears fanned out wide

Soft sensitive trunks like pendulums… swinging from side to side

Large noble heads…curve of spine strong

Large hearts beating to an African song

These gigantic pilgrims trek like desert ships in the night

Hot fresh piles of dung steaming in the moonlight

Rich creamy scythe like tusks more valuable than gold

The elephants cross to bear from times of old

The drum roll of Africa rippling through the desert sands

The wild aching solitude in this unforgiving land

Dusty shadows slipping under large padded feet

Organized crime and shimmering heat

Survival of this desert herd…..Chengeta Wildlife’s ultimate goal

Saving Mali’s elephants…..as poaching takes its toll

Are You Listening?

August 27, 2016 Jen

ARE YOU LISTENING?

Insects thrum to a wild African beat

Shimmering mirage and suffocating heat

Billowing clouds tumble across an angry sky

Forked lightening cleaves the heavy air….as thunder rolls on by

A moon full of beauty….spilling beams of aureate light

A gateway for destruction….adding to the rhino’s plight

Are you listening? Do you hear the Rhino’s cry

Or are you a silent witness? I hold my breath….I sigh

A menacing heat swirling…..an evil shadowy haze

Whirlwinds of destruction….a testament to man’s evil ways

A myriad of rhino footprints left over 40 000 000 years

My heart beats wildly….pumping with fear

The cry of the rhino…..who out there cares?

Callously mutilated and left for dead

These magnificent animals with their horn cursed heads

Not on our watch…….I beg…I plead and I pray

DON”T BE A SILENT WITNESS

Stand tall for rhinos today

Chengeta Wildlife is spearheaded by Rory Young who dedicates his

life to saving the wildlife by providing essential training and support

to the heroes on the front lines in the fight against poaching.

‘Why Us’?….The Matriarch Asks

July 29, 2016July 29, 2016 Jen

‘Why Us’? The Matriarch Asks

‘Why Us’? The Matriarch asks….a sorrowful look in her wise old

eye

‘Is a tusk cursed head a good enough reason for elephants to die’?

My heart is pounding…..stretching tight

I hang my head in shame at the elephants plight

Harmony in motion….these ancient and soulful beasts

Silhouetted against the golden dawn rising in the east

Tears trickle slowly reflecting their horror

Their nightmare of violence, pain and sorrow

Ripping flesh and pools of blood

Life force of Africa’s giants….lost in rivers of red mud

The old Matriarch turns to amble away

Noble head hanging low….she weeps and sways

‘Why Us’? I hear her ask again

My shoulders feel heavy as I carry their pain

Lumbering on….cloaked in deep wrinkles of splendour

A deep longing for peace in me she does engender

The old Matriarch turns…..I hear her raw sigh

‘Why Us’?…….she stares me straight in the eye

‘Are our creamy scythe like tusks a good enough reason to die’?

The golden sun hides behind the cloud wrapped sky

Riding the invisible wind…..a lonely sun beam cleaves the air

For these ancient beings…..my chest constricts with fear

Matriarch’s vulnerable soul exposed and open to the warm and sticky breeze

Her deep fissured trunk like a pendulum….showing her unease

These sentient creatures fanning their Africa shaped ears

Sharing their wisdom over many many years

A rich symphony of life….beguiled by the noonday heat

A colliding of two giants where continent and elephant meet

Young calves caper under the wide electric sky

Flaxen dust hangs motionless as the tears escape from my eyes

As the bleeding sunset casts out the remainder of the day

I beg of you….feel the elephants pain….do not walk away

Consumers of ivory….on you their survival depends

STOP buying ‘BLOOD IVORY’ and this mass slaughter will end

The Wildlife and Rangers need our assistance:

Rangers risk their lives to protect wildlife. We give them the skills and knowledge need to win

Salute Brave Rangers Salute

June 2, 2016 Jen

Mali’s elephants, one of just two remaining desert herds in the world, will be gone in three years unless something is done to halt the rampant poaching. The last aerial census in 2007 showed 350 animals.

Rory Young, through Chengeta Wildlife is providing an essential training and support to these heroes on the front line in the fight against poaching.

Salute Brave Rangers Salute

Dedicated to these brave heroes fighting the scourge of poaching….and my thoughts are with

the families who have lost their loved ones on the front line.

Castellated mosques….towers stretching way up high

Tuaregs and their camel caravans…a mirage across the sky

A fiery sunset melting….searing the golden thread

Desert elephants fearful….as in silence they tread

On an epic quest for food and water….footprints of survival

Deeply grooved trunks raised in silence…praying for dawn’s arrival

The merciless drone of mosquitoes ….thick on the sultry breeze

Powerful colliding of two rivers….undulating with ease

Moonlight vanishes in the deep velvet of night

A haunting whoosh of night wings….eerie in the quiet

The eastern sky rises on a drop with a golden glow

Pirogues ply the channels….gallant against the flow

The hissing heat of midday’s sun

Scorched desert sands of time shimmer as if one

Brave elephant warriors…..With steady hands and covered heads held high

The brutality of poaching…..no time for goodbyes

Brave men…..their hearts of courage to never pound again

Torn fields of the poaching war….too great the human stain

Silent…

Iridescent tears…..

A family broken in two

Coats of sadness….heavy on their shoulders….their worlds a darker hue

Unite world unite….a force shining bright

A powerful energy behind these brave men….

These warriors of light

SALUTE BRAVE RANGERS SALUTE

Chengeta Wildlife provides effective and relevant anti-poaching training to wildlife protection units all over Africa

Drenched In Moonlight….

April 24, 2016April 24, 2016 Jen

The African bush in sunsets golden hue…..a magical place full of different species of

animals, bird life and insects.

Elephants help maintain forest and savanna ecosystems for other species, and are integrally tied to rich biodiversity.

Beyond the edge of the sunsets golden hue

Dusty evening hangs motionless….nightfall soon due

Crickets thrum to an African beat

An endless sky of stars twinkle….as night time they greet

Africa’s bush drenched in ethereal moon light

The hoarse cough of a leopard…..a night jar takes flight

Rich heady scents linger….beguiled by the silvery moon

A throaty roar of a lion….a deep reverberating boom

The mighty baobab….ghostly in its stance

Mystical and Ancient….holds the power to enhance

The liquid murmur of a river….a tumultuous flow

Moon beams float gently…casting an eerie glow

As moonlight slumbers….a thousand watchful eyes

A gilt edged dawn as darkness dies

Blades of grass adorned with tears of morning dew

Clear and iridescent….the sun light peeks through

Birds stretching their wings…soaring the invisible breeze

Nature’s melodies in the leaves rustling through the trees

Faithful Askaris flank his creased and weathered old sides

Youthful and strong….majestic in their strides

Thick powerful trunks swaying…back and forth with ease

Flaunting their strength….large ears fanning the breeze

Creamy scythe like tusks bejewel their proud and noble heads

Pondering the rhythm of life with each silent tread

Drawn into deep shadows…softened by a golden gauzy haze

Wrapped in cloaks of solace….they embrace the mellow day

Caressing bones and sharing sorrow where elephants have once bled

Their existence hanging in the balance….A fragile life thread

Man….a well groomed predator setting a destructive pace

Devouring nature’s riches from this magical place

CHENGETA WILDLIFE

We strengthen those who protect wildlife and promote harmony between

man and nature through a philosophy of respect….

Kissed By The Mellow Sun

January 27, 2016 Jen

Dedicated to the magnificent African Elephants

Please sign the petition to stop Zimbabwe

from exporting more baby elephants to China

A horizon stitched in a delicate gold thread

Large drops of sunshine flaunting a deep orange red

The drum roll of Africa pulsating in each elephant’s heart beat

Large leathery rumps basking…..relaxed in the sultry heat

Whispering leaves harmonise…celebrating summer’s gentle breeze

Embracing mud caked elephant calves frolicking with ease

The electric sky stretches high above this sun burnt

land

Elephants parading the African skyline….massive and grand

Creamy scythe like tusks…trunks so versatile and tender

Lumbering past…cloaked in wrinkled robes of splendour

Mile upon mile of dusty golden tales they weave

Keeping vigil over silent bones…they sorrow and they grieve

Loxodonta Africana…..proud of their god given treasures

Kissed by the mellow sun…rejoicing in life’s pleasures

A shimmering mirage as they amble in the hot midday heat

A colliding of giants where elephants and continent meet

Invisible whistling winds…graceful with nature’s song

Caressing this

Timeless land where these magnificent giants belong

Africa’s elephants full of rhythm….a vital life source

Majestic and noble….a powerful magnetic force

Elephants boxed and crated…exported into servitude……Forced to be become compliant

An ultimate betrayal of these enigmatic giants

Africa without elephants….evaporated memories thrown to the

dry wind

Giants robbed of an existence….by those who have sinned

As custodians of this earth….we hold their destiny in the palms

of our hands

Ghostly shadows of giants haunting an arid African land

Rangers risk their lives

Let’s give them the skills and knowledge to win

A New Dawn Flaunts A Rich Golden Hue

January 1, 2016January 1, 2016 Jen

My poem is

dedicated to wildlife guardians worldwide. We salute each and every one of

you.

I am so proud to be a part of Chengeta Wildlife.

We train those who are wildlife’s first line of defense against poachers and poaching syndicates.

‘We bag poachers

before they bag elephants’

Standing so tall….knotted arms reaching to the sky

Leafy canopy stargazing ….swaying to a gentle lullaby

A limitless twinkling heaven for as far as the eye can see

A wondrous spectacle…a cosmic mystery

A timid midnight moon shimmers from behind a gossamer cloud

The ghostly call of a night jar….hauntingly loud

The magic of darkness…midnight’s warmth by her side gently flows

Moonbeams caressing deep shadows with an opulent glow

Crystals of change …..sparkling anew

As the 2016 dawn flaunts a rich golden hue

Out of the morning shadows they lollop…long necks stretched up high

Rejoicing their freedom under the African sky

Yellow billed horn-bills gliding…..Nature’s call of perfection

An iridescent malachite kingfisher beguiled by his own reflection

Gigantic ‘water horse’…sentinel of the fast flowing rivers

Yellow eyed lions….their tawny manes aquiver

Stealthy sleek leopard…yellow rosettes gleaming with pride

Flight of the fish eagle…handsome wings spread wide

Prison garbed zebra….and battle scarred buff

Menacing crocodiles ….ruthless and tough

Towering giants…graceful ears fanned wide

Muscular rhinoceros….rippling with pride

Water-buck and kudu…stately in their stance

The sun burnt African bush holds the power to enhance

Magical wildlife ……ours to cherish and protect

Leaving footprints….of compassion and respect

Organza spiderwebs spun with sun glazed thread

Peace on all wildlife guardians as in silence they tread

2015…a year full of horror, happiness and tears

A year full of courage, hope and fears

2016’s earthy breeze swirls….a heart beat of elation

Safe blessings on all wildlife….

We hold their future in our hands…we are their salvation.

Rangers Risk Their Lives

Let’s give them the skills

and knowledge need to win

Drought

November 24, 2015 Jen

Unwavering support for the animals battling thirst and hunger in the current drought in Southern

Africa

Deep throated roar of a lion….his anger fills the night

Africa’s half moon sharing a sliver of ethereal light

Stars hanging like twinkling sentinels…..keepers of the sky

The high pitched cackle of the hyenas….a chilling war cry

Midnight’s mantle cloaked in a suffocating hot breath

The vast emptyness of the drought…a reaper of death

Dawn explodes like flames of this harsh and timeless land

A myriad of footprints marking the sun burnt sand

Drowsiness lingers….thick dust hangs…..heavy in the air

Blinding sun beating down….an agonizing glare

Hardened dry earth…..parched muddy streams

Shimmering mirages and silent screams

Full of weighty concerns…they amble into the deep morning heat

Coats of wrinkles hanging….an air of hungry defeat

Fear deep inside her great pulsating heart

The dry barren wasteland soon to tear her family apart

Ancient memories stir deep within her mind

Her spirit growing restless….for water to find

Lifting her powerful trunk….in silent prayer

Fatigued…out of breath….life threatening despair

A painful barefoot shuffle over the tormented African land

Cracked dry earth and blazing hot sand

Parched and brittle leaves stolen …tossed way up high

Chasing imaginary clouds across the limitless blue sky

Animals…. listless…their heads hanging low

Stumbling through the scorching breath of drought….painful and slow

Prowling scavengers….a menacing gleam in the eye

Africa’s undertakers circling way up high

Afternoon shadows deepen…..sticky and stark

Silence shredding cicadas….a zebra’s warning bark

Beyond the edge of the sunset’s golden hue

Plumb coloured clouds hustle….long overdue

A flash of lightening burning across the darkening sky

A deep growl of thunder…..an angry and passionate cry

Trees bow down as whipping winds rage

Sweet smell of life giving rain ….On Nature’s grand stage

We train those who are wildlife’s first line of defense against poachers and poaching syndicates.

We have an acceptance of death when Mother Nature deals out the pain.

Poaching…..is

An unacceptable act of violence, corruption and greed

For ill gotten gains