The last Water Diviner is dead. I know because I saw
A half dead frog hopping on my bed.
The waters of my well have Gone for his funeral
In a desert grave.
My tap is dry – the last drop Looking sadly at me
As she left.
There is a rumble beneath my feet As the water table
Is packing and leaving.
Even as I kissed my love, Her lips turned dry, Our kiss grated and sparks flew
As dry tongues clashed.
People shriveled. Trees lost sap. Rivers crashed into stony fish.
Sky turned to rust.
Dry birds, dry fruits Dry meadows dry glaziers Cried out to me,
“The Water Diviner is dead.”
I tried to cry.
My eyes had gone dry.
“Water teaches us acceptance.” – The Last Airbender (Film)
About The Poet
Ra Sh (Ravi Shanker) is from Kerala, India. His poems have been translated into German for the journal Strassenstimmen (Street Voice Vol 6). His translations in English have been published by Women Unlimited and Navayana, Delhi, and found place in anthologies by Oxford University Press and Penguin. He collaborated with RædLeafPoetry-India in translating and publishing English translations of thirty seven young Malayalam poets in 2015.
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