The skin cracks like a pod. — Poem

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The skin cracks like a pod. — Poem | Poetry Explainer

Original Poetry

The skin cracks like a pod. There never is enough water. Imagine the drip of it, the small splash, echo in a tin mug, the voice of a kindly god. Sometimes, the sudden rush of fortune. The municipal pipe bursts, silver crashes to the ground and the flow has found a roar of tongues. From the huts, a congregation: every man woman child for streets around butts in, with pots, brass, copper, aluminium, plastic buckets, frantic hands, and naked children screaming in the liquid sun, their highlights polished to perfection, flashing light, as the blessing sings over their small bones.

Translation

The skin splits open like a seed pod. There is never enough water. Imagine the sound of it dripping, the little splash, echoing in a metal cup, the voice of a gentle god. Sometimes, a sudden rush of luck. The city pipe breaks, silver water crashes to the ground and the flow is met by a chorus of voices. From the huts, a gathering: every man, woman, child from nearby streets joins in, with pots, made of brass, copper, aluminum, plastic buckets, frantic hands, and naked children shouting in the bright sun, their shiny skin polished perfectly, reflecting light, as the blessing sings 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 Dictionary

Word	Easy Meaning	Translation	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.