One of the great privileges I have enjoyed is travel. Beginning with an opportunity to teach in China when I was in my early twenties, I’ve experienced teaching many different countries and cultures through the years.

On one of those journeys, I made a lifelong friend, a South African girl who was heading to Croatia/Bosnia to do humanitarian work. Through the years, Annelea has travelled and lived all over the world, and we have remained fast friends.

Annelea has been painting for many years. In different countries she has taken classes, made community connections, and grown as an artist. She has finally launched her website and has many beautiful pieces and prints for sale. She’s one of a kind, and her work is as delightful as she is!

This poem highlights one of Annelea’s paintings. I hope you visit her website and enjoy the beauty and movement of her paintings.

Nguni Cattle

They move with the wind heavy 
feet plodding as dust rises—
to them there is no today 
and there is no tomorrow; 

there is only now and grass 
and eating and digesting. 
So the days move day to night, 
only in their dreams they move

beyond the roaring fire, 
beyond the crystal clear night
beyond all the shining stars
to the magic of the moon.

I wonder if other worlds
like this one exist —- worlds where
people and creature alike 
remain unfettered by time.

—by Carla Jeanne Picklo Jordan