The Full Text of “Blessing”
The Full Text of “Blessing”
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“Blessing” Introduction
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“Blessing” Summary
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“Blessing” Themes
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Scarcity, Poverty, and Desperation
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-23
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Blessing”
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Lines 1-2
The skin cracks ...
... is enough water. -
Lines 3-6
Imagine the drip ...
... a kindly god. -
Lines 7-12
Sometimes, the sudden ...
... a congregation: -
Lines 12-17
every man woman ...
... frantic hands, -
Lines 18-23
and naked children ...
... their small bones.
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“Blessing” Symbols
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Water
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Line 2: “There never is enough water.”
- Lines 3-6: “Imagine the drip of it, / the small splash, echo / in a tin mug, / the voice of a kindly god.”
- Lines 7-11: “Sometimes, the sudden rush / of fortune. The municipal pipe bursts, / silver crashes to the ground / and the flow has found / a roar of tongues.”
- Line 19: “screaming in the liquid sun,”
- Lines 22-23: “as the blessing sings / over their small bones.”
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“Blessing” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Metaphor
Where metaphor appears in the poem:- Line 1: “The skin cracks like a pod.”
- Lines 3-6: “Imagine the drip of it, / the small splash, echo / in a tin mug, / the voice of a kindly god.”
- Lines 7-8: “Sometimes, the sudden rush / of fortune.”
- Line 19: “the liquid sun”
- Line 20: “their highlights polished to perfection,”
- Lines 22-23: “as the blessing sings / over their small bones.”
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Imagery
Where imagery appears in the poem:- Line 1
- Lines 3-5
- Lines 8-21
- Line 23
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Juxtaposition
Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:- Lines 1-23
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Consonance
Where consonance appears in the poem:- Line 1: “skin cracks like”
- Line 2: “never,” “enough”
- Line 4: “small splash”
- Line 7: “Sometimes,” “sudden”
- Line 8: “municipal pipe,” “bursts”
- Line 10: “flow,” “found”
- Line 12: “man,” “woman”
- Line 13: “streets”
- Line 14: “butts,” “pots”
- Line 15: “brass,” “copper”
- Line 16: “plastic buckets,”
- Line 17: “frantic hands”
- Line 18: “naked”
- Line 19: “screaming,” “liquid”
- Line 20: “highlights polished,” “perfection”
- Line 21: “flashing light”
- Line 22: “blessing,” “sings”
- Line 23: “small,” “bones”
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Assonance
Where assonance appears in the poem:- Line 3: “Imagine,” “drip,” “it”
- Line 5: “in,” “tin”
- Line 7: “Sometimes,” “sudden rush”
- Line 11: “From,” “huts”
- Line 14: “pots”
- Line 15: “copper”
- Line 17: “frantic hands”
- Line 20: “highlights”
- Line 21: “light”
- Line 23: “over,” “bones”
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“Blessing” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Pod
- Municipal pipe
- Congregation
- Aluminium
- Highlights
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(Location in poem: Line 1: “The skin cracks like a pod.”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Blessing”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Blessing” Speaker
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“Blessing” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Blessing”
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More “Blessing” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poem Aloud — Imtiaz Dharker introduces and reads her poem.
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An Interview with the Poet — Dharker discusses her life and work.
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Dharker at the Poetry Archive — A short biography and exhibit about the poet.
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The Author's Website — Check out Imtiaz Dharker's personal website, featuring media coverage, the poet's visual art, and more.
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Water Scarcity and Climate Change — "Blessing" describes a problem that afflicts many communities worldwide. Read an NPR report about water shortages in the Global South.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Imtiaz Dharker
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