Poetry Analysis

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The skin cracks like a pod.

Original Poetry

Translation

The skin cracks like a pod.

The skin splits open like a seed pod.

There never is enough water.

There is never enough water.

Imagine the drip of it,

Imagine the sound of it dripping,

the small splash, echo

the little splash, echoing

in a tin mug,

in a metal cup,

the voice of a kindly god.

the voice of a gentle god.

Sometimes, the sudden rush

Sometimes, a sudden rush

of fortune. The municipal pipe bursts,

of luck. The city pipe breaks,

silver crashes to the ground

silver water crashes to the ground

and the flow has found

and the flow is met

a roar of tongues. From the huts,

by a chorus of voices. From the huts,

a congregation: every man woman

a gathering: every man, woman,

child for streets around

child from nearby streets

butts in, with pots,

joins in, with pots,

brass, copper, aluminium,

made of brass, copper, aluminum,

plastic buckets,

frantic hands,

and naked children

screaming in the liquid sun,

shouting in the bright sun,

their highlights polished to perfection,

their shiny skin polished perfectly,

flashing light,

reflecting light,

as the blessing sings

over their small bones.

above their small bodies.

Explanation

The poem 'Blessing' by Imtiaz Dharker captures the harsh reality of living in a place where water is scarce. The opening lines describe the dry, cracked skin of the earth, symbolizing the lack of water. The poem then shifts to a moment of hope and chaos when a municipal pipe bursts, releasing a torrent of water. This event is depicted as a blessing, with people from the surrounding area rushing to collect the precious liquid. The imagery of frantic hands and naked children playing in the water highlights both the desperation and the joy that water brings. The poem uses vivid imagery and metaphors to convey the significance of water as a life-giving force and the communal experience of its sudden abundance.

Word Dictionary15

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
cracks	splits open	breaks apart	kraks
pod	seed case	a shell that holds seeds	pod
municipal	city	related to the city or town	myoo-nis-i-pal
congregation	gathering	a group of people coming together	kon-gri-gey-shun
frantic	wildly excited	very excited or anxious	fran-tik
liquid	flowing	in a fluid state	lik-wid
blessing	gift	a beneficial thing	bles-ing
highlights	bright spots	areas that reflect light	hahy-lahytz
echo	repeated sound	a sound that is reflected back	ek-oh
fortune	luck	good luck	for-chuhn
aluminium	metal	a lightweight metal	al-yoo-min-ee-um
naked	bare	without clothes	ney-kid
screaming	shouting loudly	making a loud noise	skree-ming
polished	shiny	made smooth and shiny	pol-isht
perfection	flawlessness	the state of being perfect	per-fek-shun

Poet & Context

PoetImtiaz Dharker

EraContemporary

Imtiaz Dharker is a Pakistani-British poet, artist, and video filmmaker, born on January 31, 1954. She is known for her English poetry and has won the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. Dharker has served as the Chancellor of Newcastle University since January 2020.

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WhenPublished in 1993

WhyThe poem 'Blessing' by Imtiaz Dharker reflects on the scarcity of water in impoverished areas and the profound impact a sudden abundance can have on a community. It highlights the theme of water as a precious resource and the joy and chaos that ensue when it becomes available.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

scarcitycommunityhopenature

Literary devices

metaphor: 'The skin cracks like a pod' compares dry skin to a pod opening.imagery: Vivid descriptions of water and its effects on people.personification: 'the voice of a kindly god' gives human traits to the sound of water.alliteration: 'silver crashes' and 'frantic hands' use repeated consonant sounds.