An Ode to the Arabian Desert

An Ode to the Arabian Desert

Drawing sketches
On the desert-sky,
With a steady wing-beat,
The falcons fly.

The sparkling oasis
Sings a miracle's psalm,
In veneration
Of the emerald palm.

The latticed pattern
Of the moving sands
Has broken free:
From its own embracing span.

Among the cactii,
And the nettled thorn,
In blushed tones of red -
A flower is born.

Surrendering to this
Nomadic charm -
Belligerent winds have left
The dunes unharmed.

Laying a love-siege
On the arid land,
The juvenile waves have
Crossed limits far beyond....

Trapeezing through
The azure skies,
The rainbow did
A full circle of joy.

Even the sonnet
Of the lamenting lark,
Has burst forth into
A polka dance!

I close my eyes,
To contemplate the view.
Arranged and rearranged,
I'll say: it is God in everything

Dubai
1998


Geeta Chhabra