February Rain

To be the mud, the bog, the mire;
To soak the bones in February --
Eons from the autumn shower--
Even from a summer berry!

Sparrows chirp a desperate call,
Darting questions at the cows --
Oblivious to the dousing squall, they
Churn the sludge with pastern ploughs.

The crying air was lost in rhythm:
Drums incessant in the drops;
Not a chance for rainbow prism --
Even if the hammering stops!

Metallic chills entrap machines --
Tractors hushed within the shed.
Inside the house, a full cuisine
To bless with mead -- and little said!

But out across the tiring field,
A sodden fox is hunting down
His prey of sorts -- but nil of yield;
Perhaps he'll starve; perhaps he'll drown.

Still the clouds are hammering,
Hammering home their dreary aim --
A chatterbox in constant yammering,
Drenching all to make a claim.

Copyright © Mark R Slaughter 2010

This footage is part of the professionally-shot broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest collection of HD imagery from South Asia. The Wilderness Films India collection comprises of tens of thousands of hours of high quality broadcast imagery, mostly shot on HDCAM 1080i High Definition, HDV and XDCAM. Write to us for licensing this footage on a broadcast format, for use in your production! We are happy to be commissioned to film for you or else provide you with broadcast crewing and production solutions across South Asia. We pride ourselves in bringing the best of India and South Asia to the world... Reach us at wfi @ vsnl.com and admin@wildfilmsindia.com.