Deferred Answers
by Pramila Venkateswaran
if tears could fill our wells
they would overflow create water vapor
& much-awaited rain
but heat has killed
the tears in our eyes
we pray dry-eyed
how to squeeze a passing cloud for a few drops
fields lie parched
farmers in Northern California
leave their farms to find relief
my mother fretting about her brown tap drizzle
in Chennai worries kaatu thi never seen
anything so wild fires devouring redwoods
& homes choking cities with smoke no amount
of hosing quenches the flames
broken broken should we stay or flee
the circle of fire engulfs us water water
hello is anyone there they say
in the desert you can hear silence speak
see pink flowers struggle up from between rocks
tear a juicy stem to drip water on your tongue
“My experience of water shortage in Chennai as well as in Northern California where farmers are struggling to keep their crops drought free in the last few summers have made me realize the extremes we have reached in our planet’s survival. In Tamil Nadu violence breaks out at the bore wells and at the water lorries where many line up to fill their buckets. Violence has become common in regions where resources have become scarce: witness the water wars in Nevada, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Israel and the Occupied Territories, the Dakotas, and dry regions globally that depend on water from neighboring countries. The sick and the aged are not able to compete for water for their basic daily necessities. My mother, disabled and old, was reduced to beg neighbors to help her get water for her drinking, bathing and cooking. Diseases from polluted water sources are common in regions where water is becoming scarce. Humans, animals, birds, trees, water, earth are deeply connected; a break in this chain is disastrous to all.” —Pramila Venkateswaran
Pramila Venkateswaran’s work has appeared in many poetry journals in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and India, such as Ariel, Calyx, Prairie Schooner, and Long Island Quarterly. Her latest book is The Singer of Alleppey (Shanti Arts, 2018).