Thursday, March 19, 2026

Sultana Raza

Fleeting Generations

 

I suppose you could call us old friends,

because we’ve listened to billions of drops of uncaring rain

drumming ceaselessly on these stubborn walls.

 

We’ve been arguing about how

the number of rainy nights have increased

for the last few decades at least;

due to ordinary humans or those huge buildings

dumping waste in waters, 

releasing pollutants in airy currents…

 

Because countless generations of our species 

have endured so many cold nights together

while resisting the urge to start shivering,

I suppose we’re the oldest chroniclers

of this street, where we’ve noticed 

flocks of folks getting thinner, as

there’re more individuals than couples 

rushing about for pointless tasks.

 

By the way, why can’t you instruct your

young ’uns to stop using my head 

as their favourite perch? 

  


 

Intermittent Choir: Digital Collage by Sultana Raza


Frosty Premonitions

 

He didn’t care too much for gold leaves, especially 

as his coughing became worse when 

churlish storms would swirl him crazy, and the 

sickle moon would taunt his creativity through October 

clouds. For he became stuck for words when the wind

blew them all too quickly before they could coalesce with 

inky firmness. He dreaded the onset of the frosty 

weather that gleefully helped stiffen poetic flow, busy fingers.

 

‘I wonder why the weather conspires, and punishes 

not just me for my transgressions, but also my

judicious pen.’ Did he think so while pulling his thinning hair?

 

 

Note: this poem explored some aspects of my photographic collage artwork, Intermittent Choir.

 




Springing Forth


No I don’t want to paint trees. 

Cherry trees require the same brush strokes,

repeated over and over again. 

The menu for success is to make 

every blossom different, and not the same,

just like nature produces them.


It doesn’t produce. 

Blossoms just sprout forth with no effort on the tree’s part.

Perhaps you can’t see it, but its ongoing regular effort is there. 


If I’m going to attempt it, 

then it won’t be under my teacher’s strict surveillance. 

Let’s give him a surprise. 


Go away. I certainly can’t do it 

with you breathing down my neck.




Golden Shovel: Especially When the October Wind 


‘Especially when the October wind

With frosty fingers punishes my hair,

(Caught by the crabbing sun I walk on fire

And cast a shadow crab upon the land).’



The full poem can be read here: https://allpoetry.com/Especially-When-The-October-Wind

‘The great Welsh forensic pathologist Bernard Knight examined the P.M. report and concluded that… death was clearly due to a severe lung infection, with extensive advanced bronchopneumonia.’

Source: https://www.walesartsreview.org/what-killed-dylan-thomas/



No comments:

Post a Comment

Sultana Raza

Fleeting Generations   I suppose you could call us old friends, because we’ve listened to billions of drops of uncaring rain drumming ceasel...