Ode to the Lost Boy

behold the enduring
image of the lost boy in the childhood
mist of the soul; doing the daily
battle for survival; weaving the tragic
tale of boyhood forgone

you are the divine gift
of the realm (wandering in the wild), the solitary soul
on a journey of self-discovery
the dreamtime alchemist who turns
the desert dust into the golden grains of beauty

yet, you slide into
the ‘hood in your darkest hour of need
speaking to my soul; searching for
the spiritual heart of mercy,
the single drop of heaven foretold

the mysterious ray
of light pierced through the darkness
as you tread softly; devouring my poems
along the winding path of reason;
capturing the spirit of the moment

the nightingale sings as
hope rains upon you in the island
of the gods, near the spring waters
of great joy, where the moonflower
dances to the rhythm of the soul

the aroma
of fortune fills the air just as
your beautiful tree of knowledge
flowers in earnest; feeding my songs; bearing
the delicious fruits of wonder

your boyhood energy bubbles
like a squat hourglass
like love molecules on heat
like the controlled
explosion of new life in the dawn of time

your light begins to shine
ever so brightly; rousing the lonely hearts
banishing
hunger and thirst in the fertile
crescent of the soul


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Ode to Refugees

you capture
the defining moment
of life with
sweet songs of love; feeding
my humble soul

now, you are
the rising star of the new dawn,
a refugee with attitude,
a rainbow of many colours
in the unfolding drama of life

you move
like the wandering sun
in the
mysterious places
of the heart

you conquer the blues
and wrestle with Sorrow
this fateful day
fighting poverty and deprivation
on the fatal shore

you are the joy of my life,
the hope of hopes, the precious
gift of desire washed
by the intoxicating scent of
the Jacaranda in full bloom

like a lonely flower
in the wind, you dance with
graceful legs in the shadow
of my dreams; pricking my conscience
with the mournful songs of mercy

a big kiss (from
your hungry lips) lightens
the mood; revealing the luminous
castle of the heart built with
the finest grains of laughter

i crave your divine
essences as you wrap me with
your heavenly silence
searching for the secret code of survival
in the changing landscape of time


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo