By Mohammad Ayub

Land of the Bird

By Mohammad Ayub 

Somewhere here I sat and chirruped

Somewhere here I joined the chorus

Somewhere here we hid ourselves

From hawks, among acacia and jujuba trees

Somewhere here is the thatch and the hut

Where I nested season after season

Somewhere here is the parapet

Where I first fed my mate

Somewhere here is the furrow, that strip

Where I foraged for millet,

Dodging stones

This is the place where it all came to pass

Or am I deluded?

Was it another wholesome land?

Dr Ayub is a consultant psychiatrist in the UK,

See also: Where Have all the Lotas Gone?, Resistance Art and Literature