THEY WERE DRY RED DAYS

 

There were dry red days
Devoid of clouds
Devoid of breeze
Sound bruised
My burning bones
Dirt cracked my hands
And caked my cheeks
No buds on limbs of trees
No birds on branches
No hope of rain
Scrawny chickens
Kicked up dust
Scratching for food
That wasn't there
In the stifling, stillness
Of the scorched night
We dreamt
Of cool oases
Tropical isles
Emerald bays
Not these dry red days

 

 

Sharmagne Leland-St. John is a Native American poet, concert performer, lyricist, artist, and film maker. She tours the United States, Canada, and England, as a performance poet, either solo or with her band of poets "Poetry in Motion." She has published 2 books of poetry ( Unsung Songs (2003) Silver Tears and Time (2005) and co-authored a book on film production design. Designing Movies: Portrait of a Hollywood Artist (Greenwood/Praeger 2006)