Sweat Bath Poem by Nikhil Parekh

Neither was the most contemporarily powerful of air-conditioner needed; even as the heat outside raced to an unbearable scorch,

Neither was there the most infinitesimal puff of wind that could provide any respite; as time painstakingly crawled to welcome a fresh dawn,

Neither did ice form into mesmerizing cubes even in the deepest freeze; as virtually everything in vicinity was shredded asunder in fiery whirlpools of the afternoon,

Neither did wondrously tantalizing waves of the oceans reach the penurious doorstep; as they were pragmatically speaking - continents and poles apart,

Neither did the most rhapsodically delectable ice-creams and candies cause a diminutive dent; as the blazing heat pulverized the same into frigid pulp-even before they could reach the lips,

Neither did the most mellifluously nostalgic of songs cause an impact- as shades of adulterated humane yellow pierced the atmosphere; as draughts of warm air swept their might,

Neither did the most enchanting of praises reach the ears; as asphyxiating dust and morbid smoke; squandered through a landscape of population with a forlorn will to kill,

Neither did the darkest shades of black tinted glass come to any rescue- as though the dark films sequestered from direct impact; they absorbed heat at the same time to eventually distort beyond recognition,

Neither did the merrily artificial tap of water provide the tiniest of solace; as it soon started to emit hostile steam usurped by the storm of volcanic heat which wavered fiercely around,

Neither did the glass of freshly extracted fruit juice render the slightest of rejuvenation- as it miserably evaporated to reveal the last grains of sugar and salt blended within; as famished palms groped fervently ahead to clutch it,

Neither did snow flakes disdainfully thrown astray by the passing carts create a whiff of cool- as the parched tarmac devoured those few globules of water first; even before any living form dared creep near them,

Neither did the most majestic of castles generate a shy beam of shade; as their walls themselves scorched like a ravaging bulldozer; sulking at the angst that came alongwith the heat- instead of a grain of compassionate comfort,

Neither did the historically quaint well guarantee any beacon of a promise; as when one tread right to its mystically intrepid bottom- the discovery did yield hollowness but without a droplet of liquid to compliment,

Neither did the sensuously nestled swimming pool offer a fantasy of revitalizing delight; as arid winds laced with venomous smoke stabbed its periphery; metamorphosing its charmed persona into a parsimoniously fetid gutter line,

Neither did the princely fountain adorning the bustling street offer a trifle of an enthrallment- as the spray that once upon a time kissed the chin after ricocheting of ground; now abruptly dried midway in fireballs of acrimonious heat,

Neither did the couch of astoundingly pure velvet generate any comfort; as before anyone could nestle on its enamoring softness- its covers melted in the tyrannical heat- and out came charging the unabashed coiled springs,


And yet I was unabashedly relishing each ounce of my existence; even as the tumultuous summer heat whipped every bit of joy from the solar-plexus of survival,

As I romanced in the golden stream of mortal sweat that sensuously dribbled down my skin- to give me my victorious "Sweat-Bath".