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INDIA

by Cec 

Posted: 02 June 2005
Word Count: 148


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The afternoon sun dissolves

into the evening mist

and as the bus trundles through

the filth,

there is laughter.



The guide rambles his

meandering philosophies

with garrulous intent

until the bus slows and we

stop to observe

A fallen Cow. Motionless,

accompanied by

dusty, grey hag.



Her knees creak as she kneels.

Handles her axe

and hacks, into its flesh

by the roadside.

The Cow makes no protest.

Blinks not an eye

lies static

until it is no more than:

a head

disjointed bones and

bricks of meat

loaded high in her basket,

higher still, on her head.

she vanishes into the dusk.



Woman and Beast

kicking dust underfoot and

discarding four hooves

which look

incongruous and

lost



without a body to support.



The laughter has died

like the sun.

We are caressed by murky shadows

and trundle,

Sombre to the hotel

Deciding on

Chicken for dinner

Instead.







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Comments by other Members



laurafraser at 18:03 on 02 June 2005  Report this post
this is wonderful, I'm not sure I would have guessed this was about india had you taken away the title but it seems to describe a place far away...

small thiing second stanza is missing "a" for "dusty, grey hag"...?

this reads almost like a story, i could see the woman and the cow perfectly and i like the simplicity that you convey the whole scene with, no injecting any of your emotions, simply observing and then the wry comment at the end about the chicken.

I think the format of the poem works well with this piece as well-adds a slowlness to it, a drowsiness, the tyoe one does feel in the muggy heat of India.

An interesting piece, there is a quiet confidence to it and I look forward too reading more of your work.

Laura


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