The Mean Streets of Prospect

In the mean streets of Prospect, where
The unfortunate ones either sink or swim,
So to speak, a dejected young mother sat
On one side of the run-down house
Nursing her wounded child, a moving
Image of a woman in her prime of life;
Doing the daily battle for survival!

Fearing that her beloved child,
An innocent victim of a sickening,
Unprovoked, racially motivated attack
Could die from the brutal wounds, she
Discovered her inner strength. And her
Nurturing and creative self emerged.
A bright spark in the critical moment
Of existential crisis!

Now, her eyes have seen the light!
And the divine presence of Bes, the Nubian god
Of protection, in all his glory. Bes has taken
Over the proceedings: offering spiritual guidance,
Singing the dreamtime lullaby, blessing the
Daisies in the field, nurturing and caring
For the wounded child, maintaining order in the ‘hood,
And calling on the evildoers to account for their sins
In the mean streets of Prospect.


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo