Friday, March 30, 2007

Honeysuckle Blossom

Behold the
The eternal beauty of the
Honeysuckle
Her precious flower glistering
In the antipodean sun

Feed me
With your precious nectar
Oh honeysuckle…
The sacred loaves and fishes
Of the realm sublime

You melted
The heart of stone, one
Autumn day
Stirring insatiable lust out
Of the jaws of anger

Even the
Shooting star from the
Receding galaxy
Can’t keep pace with your
Arrow of desire

The fat cats
On the prowl; licking the
Nectar divine…
The dreamtime elixir of
Youth foretold


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Flight of the Golden Leaves

The maiden
Flight of the golden leaves…
The sound of autumn

Out of the depths
Of happiness, the autumn
Zephyr blows

How graceful
Is your gentle flight
Oh golden leaf?

Behold the
Naked trees of Findon…
Autumn folly


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Sunday, March 18, 2007

On Suicide

Suicide continues to be a major public health issue in Australia, in recent years. Although death by suicide is a relatively uncommon event, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the human and economic costs are substantial.

Suicide can be defined as the deliberate taking of one’s life. Thus, to be classified as suicide, a death must be recognised as being due to factors other than natural causes.

There were 2,101 deaths from suicide registered in Australia in 2005, similar to the number registered in the previous year. Nearly 80% of these were deaths of males.

Nevertheless, in 2005, the age-standardised suicide rate for males was 16.4 per 100,000 people; while the corresponding rate for females was 4.3 per 100,000, according to the ABS data.

The most common method of suicide was hanging (including strangulation and suffocation) which was used in 51% of all suicide cases.

Firearms accounted for 7% of suicide deaths, poisoning by drugs 12%, poisoning by other methods 16%, and drowning and other methods 14% of the suicide deaths (ABS).

In fact, from 1995-2005, the male suicide death rate was approximately four times higher than the corresponding female rate during this period.

http://www.abs.gov.au

Monday, March 12, 2007

The Autumn Flower


The great excitement
In the erogenous zone foretold…
Autumn flower blooms

Sing to me, cricket,
The secret songs of the
Antipodean autumn


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo



Sunday, March 11, 2007

African Artists and the Music Festival

This year’s World Music Festival opens in Adelaide, South Australia, with African artists taking centre stage – along with more than 300 artists from all over the globe.

The highlight of the festival is the presence of the Mahotella Queens, the funky grandmas from South Africa, who are as entertaining as ever. Their mesmerizing rhythm has continued to keep the crowd on their feet.

And with Salif Keita on stage, the golden voice of Africa could be heard, loud and clear, in this year’s World Music Festival Down Under.

In fact, Salif Keita and the Mahotella Queens deliver an African musical experience that keeps the World Music Festival alive and well in Australia.



Sunday, March 04, 2007

The Hypochondriac

She walks like an
Angel under the stars; thinking…
Every pimple is cancer
And every headache a brain tumour
Frisky hypochondriac



© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Thursday, March 01, 2007

The Neophyte


Behold the
Neophyte with attitude
Singing
The dreamtime melody
Of pure delight


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo