Recipe for rain by Anne HoweThe farmer peers from beneath his worn felt hat
And surveys the vast land of which he is 'lord'
...this year's wheat never did see the light of day
It lies not even dormant but dead
With a cracked earth blanket for its discomfort
Ghost farm bodies of sheep and cattle
Punctuate the naked landscape.
For them thirst and hunger
Had too long reached out to dry dust and waterless dams
With dusk comes relection on a day of loss
With dawn, new hope if not new life
Although his spirit is almost broken
The farmer will never give up
He is born to nurture
Being ever the optimist
Thinking on the good years
Though his livelihood be shot to pieces
In this battle with Nature
A land without rain is a dry land
A harsh and barren land
A begging
Unforgiving land
He watches as his crops and flocks fail
His pocket is less heavy
And there is less with which to feed his family
But the farmer has always known
That Nature gives and Nature takes away
He looks forward to a time
When the good seed scattered on the ground
Will be fed an watered by the same force of Nature
And his land will once again become a land of plenty
For now, with sleeves rolled up and ready to labour
He gazes longingly at the clear blue sky
And out across the arid landscape
......if only there was a recipe for rain!! 12/17/2002 Posted on 12/17/2002 Copyright © 2024 Anne Howe
Member Comments on this Poem |
Posted by David R Spellman on 12/17/02 at 08:54 PM Your descriptions here really make me appreciate more the hardships of farming the land, especially when so much is at the whim of nature. Very well said Anne. |
Posted by Ken Harnisch on 01/06/03 at 03:06 PM I had heard and seen and read of the great drought sweeping Austrailia...but poems, from the eyes of those who are there, bring the great dry searing thing home! |
Posted by Charles E Minshall on 08/02/05 at 03:22 PM Well done Anne. The farmers lot is a tough one....Charlie |
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