Thursday, February 23, 2012

TALES OF HARMATTAN



Picture courtesy www.bsmarkham.com


That perfect orange,
Haloed by a lighter shade

At half past 4
Till barely 6

Roaming the skies
Overlooking the smouldering savanna

Downed powerlines
The corruption of wooden electric poles, charcoal

Listen to the tinder
Dry shrubs

Listen to the
Thirsty trees

Dry grass in tears
The planting season has passed away

Dust in flight
Across the plains

Married to shoes
And parched soles

Listen to blind lanterns
Listen to parched lips

Listen to the dry land
Listen to tales of sands

Rain clouds eaten
Alive in their mother’s womb

Tales told by empty spaces
A constipated sky

Cemeteries of cornfields and
Cowpea litter the earth


Farmlands lost in dreams of
harvests gone by


A healthy helping of coughs cold
Itchy eyes and runny noses


Double bolted rabbit holes
And still-borne watering holes

Cows barter water
With buckets of milk

Barns and silos
Imprison grain

Hush….
Listen….
Listen…..
Shhhhhhh……
Just you listen,
These are the tales of harmattan