Nice one, Amy. The descriptive narration conveys a very familiar picture of
the landscape and the effects of the Hamattan wind on the lifesyles of its
inhabitants. I think your interlude of common local words makes the poem
particualrly special and 'Gambianly'. Keep it up, You can make a great poet!
Bailo
>From: amy jallow <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Harmattan wind
>Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 16:23:22 +0000
>
> HARMATTAN WIND
> From the north you came, draped in brown
> Roaring like an old lion.
> Gathered in the folds of your gown
> Tiny granules of gold
> Which you scatter unceremoniously
> Into Subsaharan Africa
> Your icy breath, shifting the landscape
> And serenading willowy palmtress into
> Rhythmless dances
> Making it almost impossible to abandon the
> Comfort of a warm bed
> Heating water for bath,
> The 'siwo', blackened by tongues of
> Wood fire, creaks noisily on its hinges
> A cirlcle of wrinkled faces
> Thoughtful around a bornfire
> Stretch gnarled, calloused hands
> Towards the glimmering yellow center
> To 'Jarue'
> Warming up old bones
> And reliving the glorious days of Kabu
> When the Ceddos were 'Mansa'
> And 'Dolo' the juice of the day
> Bent figures wrapped in wollen blankets
> Fighting to hold to the last vestiges
> Of warmth
> Scampered towards the fields
> Mothers bundle up children in layers of clothing
> To ward off 'Saeda'
> And rub 'Karite' on young skins
> To moisturize and prevent 'Mboyo'
> Your dreaded companion
> Mentholatum selling like hot Akara
> To alleviate the symptoms of a chapped lip
> School children, in arrays of sweaters
> And 'windbreakers' huddle around
> Bowls of steaming milky 'roi'
> To warm up and nourish empty stomachs
> And to be in school on time to avoid the switch
> That cracks and bleeds the hands
> At this time of the year
> 'shameless' lovers tango in limbo
> In the clutter of a one room apartment
> High above, you, the Harmattan
> Dance in a cloud of dust
> Blanketing the whole land
> In gritty fog, that swirls and
> Mockingly settles on everything
> Chasing everyone indoors
> Thus disrupting the idyllic movement
> Of a village life
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