On The Backwaters

Under the beetroot moon
Under the beetroot moon of Kerala
The ravished senses know
The correspondances of Baudelaire.
How the jasmine's violin sings to the kite's tabla
And the joking water pats with little soft paws,
And the coconut tastes of wings,
And the sky smells of tomorrow,
And coffee is sunlight and pineapple,
Silver-gilt, pewter, marble,
Under the goat's milk sun
Of Kerala.

Audrey Laski