Sand and Dust
Dusty streets like some Hollywood western film set The far sides somewhat look alike, no need of cowboys It is the the home of the natives be they black or red This is Karma the quiet village in the Niger Valley Photo Hugh Ardoin Niger The Red Planet Gallery Hits: 14
Moving like shiny quicksilver spots over uncharted roads Following the long shiny asphalt string that extends into infinity Moving from mysterious places unknown to the Googling satellites Destinations with unspoken names to keep them safe from invaders and evil eyes The travelers make a stop at a small cluster of derelict buildings in the desert […]
In a dry forlorn place mother and child wander Nibbling at the straw left behind by the millet harvest Before the dry spell changes a hostile world into an inferno The sun smothers the adobe houses and bleaches all colors into red The horizon meets the sky somewhere always further as you walk your walk […]
In the stifling noon haze of Harmattan days A desert princess pushes a gender-unfriendly bike on the sandy sidewalk Steadily advancing against the wobbly resistance of the machine Her mind set on her distant goal with the determination of the desert people Somewhere at the far end of the world commuters ride air-conditioned public transport […]
From the top of the well you get a glimpse of infinity The vast nothingness of the desert that moves and breathes It is the “thing” that kills or let you live it is both cruel and gracious Like a “femme fatale” it will play with you in the manner of a cat To suddenly […]
The booming broom market in Niamey Sand and dust get everywhere even in your food You can sweep all day it will always come back The sandman is a busy man so is the broom vendor Crossing the bridge over the brown waters of the River Niger The desert is on both sides it it […]
The huge emptiness of the desert swallows every human trace A vast sand plain where the where the wild winds run screaming The desert is a broken hourglass spilling the sand into timelessness A few huts and small single room adobe houses, a bramble corral The last outpost in an overwhelming wilderness holding fast against […]
Every year, nature provides its recurring sweet manna At the very gates of the Eden Garden Along the edge of the infinite sand waves Under the shade of a roadside tree The gatherers sell their catch of the day The bright yellow fish from the trees A cornucopia of golden mango, the forbidden fruit Photo […]
A small village scattered among some scattered trees Under the priceless shade people take shelter from the sun The sun flows over the desert plains like the lava of a dead volcano It fills your lungs with this very special heartburn And the sand stings like a million bees when the wind rises in fury […]
A woman carrying a huge bag on her head and squash under her arm About to cross the road in this wonderful attire going to some social event The Red Planet women are the living social network of the desert They walk long miles to fulfil their duties, arrange marriages and wake at the funerals […]