It bore the acrimonious tyranny of scorching sun round the year;
leaving bold
footprints in the dust it tread,

Traversed incessantly through blistering soil; with sandy winds blowing
across
its eyes,

Ambled languidly in the brilliant day; increasing its pace a trifle at
the
onset of night,

Intermittently munched parrot green tentacles of rustic cactus;
immensely
relished the dry meal of leaf and thorn,

Occasionally rubbed its slender neck against the sandpaper skin of wild
tree;
raising its eyes toward the almighty residing in heaven,

Angrily swished the scanty clusters of hair on its tail; to drive away
scores
of petulant mosquitoes,

Wore a bedraggled rope dangling loose from its neck; a cushioned saddle
riveted to its angular sculptured body; Intricate pieces of leather
wound to
its mouth; to maneuver it through labyrinth of routes,

Possessed a firm pair of hooves; which glistened all the more
profoundly in
the sunbeams and looked mesmerizing under the placid moon,

Had a slimy nose with gaping nostrils; which remained wet despite the
acrid
warmth irrevocably prevailing,

Spawned many of its kind; suckling its young ones utterly bereft of a
cloistered shade,

Walked marathon distances in a single day; unrelentingly stepping on
islands
of steaming land,

Stooped down as much as it could; when confronted with tumultuous
whirlpools
blowing with full might,

Moaned in high pitched exuberance as it sighted a solitary stream;
storing the
water for months till it found a fresh source,

Gallantly fought an army of disdainful crabs; audaciously kicked loose
rocks
that came its way,

Seldom shed its tears; overwhelmingly inspiring those who feared life
to come
out of their nonexistent shells,

Had a passion to bask under the dazzling sun; thoroughly detested
crystal blue
patches in the sky being obfuscated by clouds,

It had remained as stoical as omnipotent god under the most bizarre of
circumstances; refraining to flounder under the pugnacious heat,

Was quite glad to adopt the sizzling silver sands as its companion for
life;
even dreaming about the same while in deep sleep,

I offer my humble salutations to this silent warrior; as my 'HUNCH
BACKED
CAMEL' carries me through the colossal expanse of the Sahara desert.



(c) (r) copyright-2004, by nikhil parekh. all rights reserved.