Camelthorn Ghost of Khubu

(A Villianelle Variant) 
The Kalahari was once an inland sea.
 
 
"Kalahari Twilight"  by WW Schwim  

As he waits in the shade of his Camelthorn tree,
he remembers days of a blue lake's haze
when great rivers roared to the sea.
When the hunt was good if his aim was true
there was meat cooked slow in the campfire glow
and they danced for rain by the Camelthorn tree.
Everyone took a part in the Elephant song
when the moon shone bright in the warm summer night
while rivers flowed soft to the sea.
Follow spoor in the dust where the herds ran strong
going north past the isle where Baobabs smile
in search of fruit of the Camelthorn tree.
Then rains never came to the dune desert sand
and the dawn poured red on a white lake bed
while salt rivers crept to the sea.
With a bow at his side and spear in hand,
 he waits here still on a salt lake hill
by the sun-bleached bones of his Camelthorn tree
while dry rivers pine for the sea.
 
 
"Waiting for Rain" Baobabs on Khubu by Rick Wallace
                                  
Some information for those who have never been to Kubu
                                Khubu Island of the maKgadikgadi
Botswana; 
On the north-east outskirts of the Great Kalahari, lie a series of pans, Nxai, Sua and Ntwetwe; all part of the famous Makgadikgadi.
Once a massive inland sea, today this area is a large barren plain dotted with rocky islands where Ilala palms, Baobabs and 
Camelthorns create a unique if macabre skyline. 
The whole pan is surrounded by mopani scrubland, and a high bluff on the southeast shore hosts some stone ruins believed to mark 
the western boarder of the ancient Monomatapa civilization.
The dry Boteti River forms the western boundary of the park where the pastel hues of Khubu Island contrast with the gleaming white salt plain. 
Sacred healing rituals and the rain dance to Badimo (the ancestral spirit) are still regularly performed here by local tribes. 
Cairns of rocks show that these annual ceremonies date back many hundreds of years. This exquisite island is steeped in legend, 
visitors can feel a strong spiritual presence and the strange soft light is a photographers dream.
It is not known what caused the inland sea to dry up; some scientists believe it was river capture while others attribute it to climatic change. 
Long stretches of wave-polished pebble beaches high above the present day pan floor are undeniable proof of the existence of this vast lake.
Archeological evidence of human habitation dating back over 250,000 years indicates an incredibly long history of the San Bushmen people who still live here.  
Camelthorn, Kameldoorin – Acacia Erioloba (Giraffia). A large thorn-tree, endemic to the semi-desert regions of Southern Africa. 
A keystone species, it’s foliage and fruit sustain the animals of the Kalahari. It was considered the “Tree of Life” by some of the San families.  
  
Acacia Erioloba,  Camelthorn tree sheltering a lone gnu bull (wildebeest)