Just beyond Bwindi’s national park gate
in equatorial Africa,
we hike an elephant trail.
As we labor up the mountain,
we stop to catch our breath
accompanied by guides and porters.
Trackers find what we have come to see
a family of mountain gorillas,
gentle giants among thick vegetation.
Thirteen in all, aware of our presence,
going about their day,
encircled by clouds of tiny gnats.
Adults break off branches
to chew succulent leaves,
babies roughhouse, climb trees.
At rest under tangled bushes,
the silverback caresses a baby,
a mother nurses another.
When the allotted time is over,
we trek back down the mountain
humbled by our experience.