55. HUNCH BACKED CAMEL
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.