Response to Pablo Neruda’s ‘The Potter’

the line on my back
yearns for your touch,
your deep stare,
your sharp nose,
your twirling tongue,
I’m a dessert
moulded with pains
from a desert of lies,
I’m thirsty,
my limbs and throat hurt,
you are the camel sent
to bring water and food,
to bring friendship and love,
I’ll lay flat on this harsh sand,
waiting for touches of your hand,
moving to the rhythm as they land
on my lips, ears, thighs and wand,
I’m a mess, you’re no better,
we are fools but at least together.

Tomide Abdul