image of nature s fertility and energy He says the black birds are nesting and hatching on oil palms bearing suns for fruits The oil palms which produce fruits that shine like suns stand for growth warmth and rebirth The word suns shows light creation and the power of life The nesting birds mean the birth of new life and the oil palms mean strength and continuity Okara uses this image to show that life is not destroyed by death rather it changes its form Symbol of Nature s Strength The poet then dreams of the uprooters people who try to destroy nature by cutting down the trees But he says roots denting the uprooter s spades This line shows that nature resists destruction The roots of the oil palms are strong enough to stop the spades Here the roots symbolize the deep power of nature and the uprooters represent human greed and carelessness The dream teaches that nature can defend itself Even if man tries to destroy it nature will survive and grow again Okara uses this image to remind us that human life depends on nature and that respect for it is essential for balance and survival Symbol of Human Greed In the dream the poet also sees the uprooters tired and limp leaning on my roots their abandoned roots They have lost their connection with nature When the oil palms give them each a sun they hold it in their hands but are not happy This shows that even though they have received the light of life they still look for material wealth and shine like gold The uprooters unhappiness represents the emptiness of human greed Okara uses this image to criticize modern man s selfishness Symbol of Spiritual Awakening The dream ends with the poet waking up to see the snow still falling The real world joins with the dream world He writes I awoke to the silently falling snow and Moslems salaaming at evening prayer This image turns the natural scene into an act of worship The poet feels the presence of God in nature s peace The dream becomes a lesson in faith Okara finds spiritual peace in this natural harmony He realizes that true religion lives in the quiet rhythm of the earth Contrast Between Dream and Reality The dream is not separate from the real world When the poet wakes he feels that both are connected The dream gives him knowledge about life and death The snow outside and the birds inside his dream reflect the same truth that the flow of life never ends Okara blurs the line between dream and reality to show a spiritual journey In Snowflakes Sail Gently Down Gabriel Okara s dream sequence becomes a rich symbol of life death and renewal The dream reveals that nature and the human spirit are deeply connected and life always continues in nature s eternal circle