'In the Water'-Kristian Wightwick

Kristian's poem for Ghana (based on painting on previous post):

‘In The Water’ By Kristian Wightwick

Rain on the mother,
Give her the secrets of water,
Let her image be reflected in its
Mirror top. Run the silky water,
Down her arm, down to her toes,
Like soft fingers massaging her scalp.

Sooth her hot flesh.

Let her know when it is safe
To cross the Wadi, when it is fine
To wade in the river, when it is time
Sing to the village, to catch a smell of spice,
A sound of children playing, the reply of
Another singing.

Let her love the sparse grass,
The chirp of nearby crickets
And the slow croak of frogs.

Let her cut colours on the horizon: purple, red; bits of orange and blue.
Let her breathe the smoke of fire and dance into the night.
Let her children learn and know
That tomorrow, she’ll be there again

In the rain, in the water,
In the sun, in the water,
In the earth, in the water.