Printer-friendly versionSend by emailPDF version

These are dry days.
I stop to breathe
as if the wall of heat
must be coaxed aside
to let air enter, leave...

These are dry days.
I stop to breathe
as if the wall of heat
must be coaxed aside
to let air enter, leave.

We edge crab-wise
around a baobab’s root
begging its spirits for relief
but they do not dare risk
even one green shoot.

Tonight rain finally drains
to earth as the red sky fades.
May it douse the flames,
May it draw off bitterness,
May it rust blades.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS

* Akwe Amosu is the senior policy analyst for Africa at the Open Society Policy Center (OSPC).
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at Pambazuka News.