The Lost Boy

The lost boy
Jumped for joy at the
Dawn of spring
Watching the glorious beam of light
His sorrows largely forgotten

Like the wandering
Moon, he now makes his
Bid for survival
With the radical molecules of
Ambition flowing through his veins

One day, he
Followed his dream to the city
Searching for fame
And fortune but lost his way…
In the soulless heart of time

Yet, his
Fighting spirit remains
Undaunted
In the face of adversity…
His dream largely unchanged

And, now, his infectious
Smile continues to open the windows
Of opportunity
Dismantling the barriers unseen
And melting the hearts of stone


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Island of Flowers

Love
On the island of flowers
This day of spring
Frisky butterflies on heat
Sumptuous wings

Free spirits
In tender moments
Of absolute bliss
Bonding in secret places of
Beauty and mystery

Scent
Of the smitten Jacaranda
In bloom …
Sensitive tongues locked in silence
Amorous red lips full of joy

Carry me
On your golden wings across
The Milky Way
Oh sweet butterfly; vaulting
The great cosmic divide

The majestic
Beauty of African violets
Nourishes the soul
Breathing a brand new life
Into the antipodean garden

Beautiful is the land
And the glorious flowers that
Time forgot…
The simple pleasures
Of life foretold


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Dreamtime Adventures

Her beautiful
Mind explores the dreamtime
Adventures
Of the lost boy in need
This restless year

Inspired
By the ravishing landscape
The tanka poet
Wrestles with the truth
Behind the metaphor

Beyond
The city lights, an
Enduring image
Of a restless soul caught
In the vortex of time

River
Of tears in the school of
Hard knocks…
But where’s the
Promised Land?

She walks
Boldly along the winding
Paths
Like an angel of the light
Nurturing the budding star

Behold
The secret places of
The heart…
Where the rainbow lorikeet sings,
The fragrant roses abound


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Job Opportunity

One of Australia’s biggest meat processors, T & R Pastoral, is seeking to entice the skilled and the unskilled workers to its abattoirs at Murray Bridge and Lobethal in South Australia.

The company is working closely with the Australian Refugee Association to employ refugees from the Sudan, Somalia, and Uzbekistan, according to The Australian newspaper report.

The company will pay employees’ relocation costs and provide subsidised rents and furnished accommodation to the new recruits.

Songs of the Matriarch

There
Once was a matriarch
Who had a
Dream to nurture the
Darling buds of spring

Her
Melodious songs
Soothe
The heart and soul of
The lost boy on edge

She
Rekindles the forbidden
Passion
With precious gifts
From the heart

The neophyte
Gets a big dose of
Reality
Searching for the crumbs
From the master’s table

Behold
The lovely matriarch of Oz
Feeding
The fallen stars under the
Cloudless blue sky

She
Won the hearts
Of many
With soulful songs
Of hope

The sun shines
On the golden buds…
Elegant
Rose petals for the
Matriarch of hearts


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The New Dawn

Behold
The new dawn…
A bright
Rising star
In the horizon

Your
Future begins now
Think big…
Let your creative juices flow
And reach for the stars

A proud
Soul in exile
Feeling
The pinch of transition
In this unpredictable life

Images
Of the Nubian dude
On stage
Taking the citadel
Of learning by storm

Spring
In their steps in the island
Of dreams
The restless Nubians at work
Turning the wheels of fortune


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo