Accra- sky-Doha! A metal bird touches down.
The soul seeks a place to ease a long-winding stress.
Fareed Agyakwah, a poet and author from Ghana, shares his poem
Fareed Agyakwah is a Ghanaian poet, author known for his contributions to contemporary African poetry and literature. His works often explore themes of peace, humanity, and the African experience. He has been featured in prominent anthologies such as Wreaths for a Wayfarer: An Anthology in Honour of Pius Adesanmi, the Best New African Poets 2019 Anthology and the World Poetry Yearbook 2024. His book, A Child’s Poetry for Peace, reflects his commitment to using poetry as a tool for social change. Agyakwah’s literary excellence has earned him several international accolades, including the Temirqazyq-Best Poet-Writer of the World 2019 and the Miembro de Honor 2020. The poem “From Summer to Winter in Qatar” was written during his working holidays in Qatar.
From Summer to Winter in Qatar
Accra– sky-Doha! A metal bird touches down.
The soul seeks a place to ease a long-winding stress.
At the City Centre, sky scrapers chest out with majestic exuberance
Offering a whole sea for recreational purposes.
(Yes, potable water is not naturally available
But Qatar knows how to create a whole sea)-
By tickling the armpits of the earth!
The muezzin cockerel crows for asalat.
Varieties of tea with pudus or parata make breakfast succulent in Qatar.
And a date with date is sweet to the palate under the shades of the palm tree that breeds it.
Desert dreads donkey miles in the outskirt and hugs the silver sky in Salwa.
To say that dry is the wind in Summer’s to say that in Fall the rain falls.
But the nose of the air in Qatar knows no smell of petrichor.
Noses are nosy for wetness:
To pick is to murder it in cold blood.
Lips are as parch as sandpaper
Bearing no semblance with proletariat pockets.
Here each trickle of sweat is measured by rosy riyals
As you bask in the sand’s swords.
And the ever bright sun sets quicker than you’d imagine
When you’re indoors doing just nothing.
I can’t believe it’s already winter;
For no Xmas carols caws.
No white man’s snow or babe’s snore.
And no bell jingles in the bedroom.
It’s Alhamdulilah,
It’s Alahu Akbar.
This is winter in Qatar!
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