Imtiaz Dharker Born in Pakistan, raised in Glasgow and now lives in India, so work spans European and Indian cultures. In ‘Blessing’, trying to show Westerners what it’s like to be short of water. Writes in a free, speech-like style. What is the meaning of the simile in line 1? Is it effective and why? Look at the use of onomatopoeia in the poem. How does the poem use them? The poet changes the rhythm in the third stanza. How and why? How does the poet compare the children to the water containers? Why? What is the poet saying about water and religion by using so many religious terms? Compare the first and last stanzas: How many differences can you spot? (Consider sound, structure, word and sentence level features.)

The skin cracks like a pod There is never enough water Imagine the drip of it, The small splash, echo In a tin mug The voice of a kindly god Sometimes, the sudden rush Of fortune. The municipal pipe bursts, Silver crashes to the ground And the flow has found A roar of tongues. From the huts, A congregation: every man woman Child for streets around Butts in, with pots, Brass, copper, aluminium Plastic buckets Frantic hands, And naked children Screaming in the liquid sun, Their highlights polished to perfection, Flashing light, As the blessing sings Over their small bones.