Z – Zebra Stripes

Here’s the last post for the A-Z Blogging Challenge. It was a lot of fun but also very tiring, especially since I’m going to start my Kickstarter campaign in a few days. Here is a little poem called “Zebrastreifen” (zebra stripes), first published in 2007 in the book Wortbeben.

To understand this poem, you need to know that in German, a crosswalk or pedestrian crossing is called Zebrastreifen (zebra stripes). I know that the translation is less then perfect, but it’s a fun little poem and I hope you’ll like it despite the slightly bumpy rhythm.

Zebras range veldt and wilderness

calmly, side by side

like a picture peaceful and clear.

Life’s very diff’rent over here:

Runabouts jetting and dashing,

clanking and squeaking and crashing.

Your friendly police with their speed traps

know ev’rything here’s up for grabs.

Humans and animals, though strangers,

Need safety both from dangers.

The question is: who, in its section

of world, is best using protection.

The stripes on a zebra, long and bent

confuse tsetse flies, dodge their prick and ailment.

In our world, stripes on the road are wont

to save us from tires – but sometimes they don’t.