I love you like autumn’s frost –
like the dew settling on rocky grounds,
I curl you up inside of me;
so that your leaves don’t brittle aside me.
I love you like sunstrike’s peak:
we moult, while the Earth’s mantle erupts,
you uncover me away from worldly pleasure;
so our barks can vascularise in present times.
I love you like the way seeds sprout,
time-by-time our strength sprout; grows –
like the larva hardening on mountain tops,
you put me in steady places so that I don’t break.
I love you like winter’s fall:
you hold me tightly, less shrewdly, revealing yourself –
I get poisoned by you, you fasten me;
we intertwine again for early autumn.
Rishan Singh is a poet and biologist born in South Africa. His poems have appeared in publications, in South Africa and overseas. His short story titled ‘Holiday Time’ received a positive review from the South African Writer’s Circle in 2012. In 2008, he received the Golden Key International Award for academic excellence, which also recognised his achievements as poet and writer. He was amongst the final five finalists at the 2014 eThekwini Municipality Library Awards, where he had been chosen from 20 semi-finalists. He has also been a participant in the 2011 and 2012 Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Awards competition, hosted by the Jacana Literary Foundation in South Africa.