The Lizard Man Poem by Liz Bedford

Let me tell you a tale of a special man, of his special ways in a special land
The place called Matopas, meaning bald heads, the granite rocks guarding secrets of the dead
He sits on the rock and he starts first all, hissing and clicking, through his mouth he calls
The ground seems to move very slightly it seems, till you notice the lizards down the rocks start to creep
Then as if by magic, by some strange spell, the numbers grow and begin to swell
They come to his calling this man of the earth, they crawl through the rocks and the red burnt earth
They come to his feet with no fear at all, they move further closer and to his feet they crawl
If I hadn't have seen this with my own young eyes, I would read this and say you are telling me lies
So I thank my Father for this man was his friend, they lived in the bush had fires to tend
And I hear his words when he said to me, when I sat by the fire with him, Dad and me
You madota like Makiwa said to me, are very special and a daughter to me!