Thursday 3 April 2008

sheen of dust

in those summer months,
the land is dried and split-
leaves dry up leaving only branches,
scarcity of water leads to nightmare.
fine sheen of dust is found everywhere-
layers of it at every nook and corner.
power outages become the norms,
the hot winds beat on the skin
burning sensation lasting forever

"still, how do I leave this place,
which has given me so much?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That is Delhi for you.....

23 comments:

  1. At this time of year, I can look out of my window (in northern Thailand) and see an almost exact replica of this

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  2. I think we always leave places and things behind.

    But I wonder if they ever leave us behind ...........

    I guess time will tell!

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  3. I live in a land of ice and snow, yet it is difficult to think of leaving - in summer we do sometimes think of Dehli.

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  4. i really got a sense of the place and of your feelings for (and against) it
    thank you

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  5. where ever you go ... there you are... the weather may change... but other than that,, it is just full of people and things... very nice piece....

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  6. You make me feel it. Very evocative.

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  7. I learned something here. In the pictures I remember seeing of Delhi it is always bright and sunny. It always reminded me of summers when I was growing up, where summer meant sunshine and humidity.

    But it sounds like the sun bakes the moisture out of things instead.

    And "sheen of dust" seems quite evocative. I'm so used to "sheen of moisture" or "sheen of sweat" that the dry version grabs my attention.

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  8. Home is home regardless of the form, hugh?

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  9. Home is home no matter the dust, drought and/or rain. Excellent piece!!

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  10. You obviously love the place. And why not?

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  11. Indeed, home isn't perfect - strange isn't it? Nice piece!

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  12. reminds me of Malawi, very atmospheric

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  13. Very much located and "regional" - a success.

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  14. You can't appreciate something until you give it up.

    :P

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  15. :) now i need to travel the world.

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  16. Interesting title! I like the way you portrayed a sense of region! (it's freezing whereI'm sitting!)

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  17. Sounds very love-hate, which most of us have with where we live. Yep, even here!

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  18. Love the feeling this one invokes. Even though where I live is different the last two lines echo with me and make this poem connect to my homeland even as it shows me yours.

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  19. this sounds exactly like the philippines on those hot summer months. very evocative.

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  20. Intriguing verses. Thank you for sharing.

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  21. even with all the things that are not right, there's no place like home.
    well done!

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  22. Even a baked kind of dryness has its own haunting beauty.

    There are many places in Australia that could replicate just this - especially over-irrigated lands draining river systems like the Murray River.

    I am fortunate for now to live on a mountain by a bay. But even here we need a water truck to top up the water tank at least once in summer.

    Gemma

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  23. Excellent depiction! Makes me really nostalgic...

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