Friday, February 1, 2008

SEASON OF THIRST


How could the fall of a pin

Have raised this much dust?

Why should the leaves

In such shameful disguise

Boldly embrace a powdery look?


When the sole can not predict

Where the hard surface lies

And the ankles continuously swim

In the ocean of dust

The shoe can not boast

Of any other colour but brown


Had you the courage and time

To keep the flower beds wet

And the godliness to keep your dress clean

Have you the grace to stop the wind?

Much needed yet much dreaded

Soothing on flesh

Ageing on hair and eyelids


What volume of showers

Will cake this dust

That is evasively jolted to dance

Burying the showers

In the depth of its bowels

Eight inches below dust level?

The land is thirsty!


Thirsty, let it be!

Till it has accounted

Where went the waters

Of the season of floods.

4 comments:

'Yanju said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
'Yanju said...

I must confess, it took me a great deal to decipher what the piece was all about. But,at the end, I was able to glean the gist.

I have my reservation about the title though. "The Land is Thirsty" as mentioned in the last stanza would have been more apt. "Season of Thirst" seems divorced from the flow and content.

All in all, I can't but agree with you that indeed, the land is thirsty! I will give you C+ because the title of any masterpiece should capture the essence. Forgive me.

Keep it up.

orantimi said...

Well, thanks for the observation but honestly i thought that Season of thirst immediately says that am talking about the dry season. That is the season when everyone feels dry, thirsty and restless. Short of me just saying Dry season, i said season of thirst.

Anyway, if some other people share your view, i may change the title. Thanks very much.

'Yanju said...

Hey! As a piece of artwork, prose/poem are opened to perception. People will always see it from the angle of their perception. Good piece nonetheless.