By Zulumathabo Zulu © 2015

Zebras drill for the voyage
To cross to the other side
Assembled babies must drill
To ditch dry seasons that kill
She teaches them
To remain within view
To transcend the coming surge
If they obey they shall live
To inherit the other side
To venerate the land of the ancestors
Humans averse to risk taking
Because they fear the other side

To disembark a raging flow
Despite hit by waves like a blow
To embrace the unknown
To cross the finish line
Where sorcerers await
To spook the finish line
To impose an incline
The colossal crocodiles lie in ambush
To destroy those easy to fleece
Yet a diligent zebra’s kick is fierce
To crush ambushing jaws to fragments
Never more to be victimized by the ambush
Unperturbed by those bewitching the mind

CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

The teachings of the African zebra exist forever. These teachings are held to be true in perpetuity. Her unconquerable spirit powers the imagination of many generations on a long and arduous road in the quest to reach their destination where the land is teeming with diversity of vibrant life. As a teacher and professor emeritus, the grandmother zebra has gathered the young to instruct them about the myths and legends of those who have gone before them.

The vicarious stallion and great protector who protects the clan with his life, provides assistance by offering his domain knowledge on the rudiments of tactical defense and survival. The zebra society uses cultural knowledge as a time-tested template on which their survival depends. This gives the young members of society a head start in exploring their natural environment while obeying the supreme law of self-preservation. The green pastures are inviting and the zebras who find them irresistible embark on a journey that requires tenacity to embrace the land that nurtures their way of life.