Love is a complex noun.
It is no more of a thing than the whisper of the wind through golden grass
Or the way that the light falls, dappled through a leafy canopy on the sand of a riverbed
It can sometimes be felt in the gentleness of the rising light of dawn
Or in the warmth of the morning sun on your face as you move in meditation over this landscape
Love is untouchable, just as the horizon that swells out – vast – in front of you
Or the iridescence of the feathers of the sunbird as it feeds on the sweetness of life
It lives in the rich, reflective texture of a leopard’s coat
And in the folds and fissures of the bark of an ancient Leadwood tree
Love is suspended in the sharp inhalation when the beauty of wilderness takes your breath away
Or in the weightlessness of a Bateleur eagle riding the thermals in the sky
Every so often, it can be witnessed in the quiet, elated celebration of shared experience
And in the moments of connection that transcend man and beast
It lives in the stories of the forest and in the song of the trees
Who hold both life’s experience of long ago and the promise of the future
It is in the heaviness of purple clouds before a summer downpour
And in the lightness of song and exhalation as this landscape receives rain
Love is tucked into a look as you catch each other’s eye
while the fire dances – free and unburdened – between you
It lives in the tapestry of the people who give themselves to the awakening
Through service. Through mastery. Through humour.
It lives in silence
It lives in joy
It lives in beauty
It lives in belonging
Perhaps this is what we mean when we say
With love from Londolozi?
When all is said and done, perhaps love can only be heard in the deep, guttural call
of a leopard walking through the night
Or in the timbre of a beautiful voice as it serenades you,
twisted together with the strum of a guitar in firelight
softly into the night
under the expansive
and all consuming
African sky
Cover of First Class by Londolozi Ranger, Ross Cheshire. Thank you to Rainbow Kitten Surprise for the beautiful inspiration.
With love from Londolozi this Valentine’s Day
Amanda Ritchie
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