☛ We are inviting submission in the field of literature and literary theory in the form of article, book review, poem, short story, travelogue and interview for our regular April issue (Vol. 6, No. 2). The last date for submission is 31 March, 2025.

Rain in Winter - John Eppel (South Africa)

 


RAIN IN WINTER

 

-          John Eppel (South Africa)

 

I watch you watching the winter rain

of gold-tipped jacaranda leaves.

You wonder: will they clog the drain,

block the conduit pipe again?

Picking leaf-drops from my sleeves.

Your face is turned aslant from mine,

I cannot read your moving lips

but trace the enigmatic line

that demarcates your features fine

with my mind’s fingertips.

You will not, now, return my stare

(too late, too late, the hornbill cries),

flicking leaflets from my hair,

each flick a gesture of despair -

rain of winter in your eyes.

 

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