Oasis

To desert nomad the oasis calls, 
Come lie beside my shimmering pool, 
Rest your head upon my shaded walls, 
And wash yourself in my water cool. 

 Cast your eyes upon my soft white sand, 
Stretch out your tired limbs upon the ground. 
You may eat honey from my outstretched hand, 
And drink sweet milk from my coconuts round. 

This poetry form is from Madagascar and is called a Hainteny. It uses metaphor and allusion, and has four-line stanzas, with nine to twelve syllables per line. The rhyme scheme is a/b/a/b. This is Prompt #15 in the Around the World poetry challenge given to us by murisopsis. She suggested a theme of jokes, but I couldn’t find my groove, so I read some translations of Hainteny poems by a Madagascar poet. Every one I read was alluding to sex, in a metaphorical way, of course. So, in honor of Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo, I offered more of the same, if not quite as subtle.

I really don’t have much more to say about this one, except that I laughed while writing it.