The African Gourd

A gourd.
Round,
       Curved,
                Smooth.
On a hot summer day
an old man rocking back and forth
a knife in his hand,
a gourd in his lap,
his throat,
scratchy with thirst,
for there is a drought.
Many months
the clouds dried and shriveled
animals, humans, trees, dying of thirst. 

Then out of nowhere
BOOM!
animals drank
plants grew
humans harvested crops
the land was plentiful now. 
No disease or sickness
pitter-patter of rain
the land was plentiful now. 

Scrape, scrape
The old man rocking back and forth
back and forth
with a knife in his hand,
carving the 
Round
     Curved
             Smooth
gourd in his lap
a cup of sparkling water
now by his side
The story of drought
told many years later
surviving through
The gourd.

            Erika