We leave the green oasis that was Kenya
and traverse the dry plains of the Sudan.
Today I saw a leopard
and a host of pink flamingoes.
When a jackal crossed our path,
in the small hours of the morning
I recognised Anubis,
Egyptian god of the underworld.

We camp in the desert.
A sudden, velvet blanket of night falls.
I wander towards the rising moon.
No walls, no maps, no street-lights
to demarcate my world,
just a silky darkness that strokes me
with its cat-like paws.

Back at camp, safe within a huddle of humanity,
I lie down to sleep.
The desert wind blows sand against my face.
The new moon lies on her back,
framed by an indigo, spangled sky. I dream:
The white crescent melts down onto the earth.
Creamy liquid hits cool sand.
Silent, golden flames erupt. Fire encircles me,
but I feel safe, an ally of the moonfire.