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what a night
Image by Kevin Mahoney

For my 50th birthday I kept a promise that I made to myself 26 years previously…

In 1972 I walked just 7 kilometers across the Nubian Desert, in the Sahara, from the port on Lake Nasser to Wadi Haifa in the Sudan. I was with “Gandalf” a travelling companion from the United States. I said to him as we were half way, across the dunes, “One day I will come back to the Sahara.” This poem describes one night on my subsequent trek through the Tenere desert in Niger (pronounced Neejair in the poem).

What a Night

It was a dark night,
no moon in sight,
yet the desert sky was crowned,
with jewels all around.
The firmament was heaven
and we, lucky seven,
sat ’round the camp fire
refusing to tire,
after Sahara’s long day
during which we wound our way
’round many a dune.
But, now, the moon
refused to show.
There was just the glow
from the fire
and a strong desire
to experience the night
with no more light.
We were close to God,
where his son had trod.
And one could tell
we were under the spell –
Africa at night:
a special delight.
Yet, all at once, the magic erupted –
the stillness, interrupted.
Distant drums vibrated,
shrill chants resonated
through the cold night air.
No joy could compare,
the emotional rush to my heart,
I suddenly felt a part
of the magique,
of Afrique.
I was not just there
but a part of Niger.
This feeling of belonging,
this emotional thronging,
this fever and pride,
burnt me deep inside.

***

Copyright © 01.06.1998 – Kevin Mahoney

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