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Nature Talks
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58 Nature Talks Natasha Masumba As I walked through the forest, I kicked stones, grasses and small creatures that crawled on the ground. I looked at the different levels of the veld. What a wonder: thorny bushes, rough barks, pointed leaves, round leaves, purple flowers, red flowers, pink flowers, flowers of all colours; all beautiful and of different shapes. I started singing my favourite rhyme from Early Childhood Development: Colours, colours, colours Red is a colour Blue is a colour Purple is a colour I began to collect flowers of different colours and shapes. As I approached a rose bush, it was not as friendly as the rest. It had beautiful flowers but not so easy to get. I looked at it, talked to it gently and picked a red rose. Next to it was a pink one, so I had to use the same technique on all the roses. I moved on to the snot apple tree, it had fruits but they were hard and dry. They call it Mutohwe in Shona or Xakuxaku in Ndebele. I took the fruit, but was it of any use being hard and dry? I threw it away. But why, just because it looked different? I ran back and picked it up, apologizing quietly I threw it in my collection. This made me think about my family. We live in Mahatshula suburb. My mother is not well because she is HIV positive. It does not show but she talks about it openly. Our neighbours do all they can to help. These neighbours are not positive but they treat us as equals. I was born with the disease. My teacher knows about it and she comforts me when I am not well. I also try to educate my friends about the disease. What I have realized is that HIV/AIDS does not make us any different from the rest. At school I know of five teachers who are also positive. We sometimes meet when we go to collect our supplies. One of 59 them told me that she was born with it and now she is thirty-five years old. This gives me hope. HIV and AIDS pricks as a rose bush but does not change you. You remain as beautiful as a rose flower. It makes people slightly different, like the snot apple, but you still remain part of the community. People who are positive need love and affection just like everyone else. We are all God’s creations. The disease will not affect the way people talk, think or act. It is not spread through air, food or water. So be educated and informed, and don’t discriminate against HIV positive people. We are part of the community, the virus lives inside our bodies, not around us. ...