Hide and Seek - Part 7 - Rhyming & Non Rhyming Poems by Nikhil Parekh - HTML preview

22. KING CACTUS

Parrot green buds of thorn,

Camouflaged in multiple coats of sand,

Having entangled roots in a sheath of loose soil,

Sighted in abundance on colossal plains of parched land,

Required crystal water in paltry amounts,

Thriving in blazing rays of the fiery Sun ball,

Swaying mildly in the rustic dry breeze,

Resistant to termite and large insects,

A specimen of sharp and flexible tentacles,

Spreading its parasitic reach to milligram amounts of starved sand,

Giving birth to flowers after short spells of rain,

Oozing bitter springs of milk when sliced with knife,

Accustomed to soaring heights of mercury all throughout centuries of the calendar year,

Baked to brittle proportions in oceans of acid light,

a relishing meal for hunch backed camel wandering at leisurely speed,

It has hidden cavities of water in raw pulp shells,

Also the tenacity to wound its prey with a labyrinth of acrimonious sprouts,

A perfect antonym to lush green grass,

Inhabiting umpteenth spots of infertile land,

The King Cactus stands tall and solitary in steaming sand of the Sahara Desert.