Festive Days

a big dose
of festive cheer
in Yawnsville
a wonderful day of joy
yet, alive with all the fun
and frivolity
and seasonal splurge
under the rose petals
i cannot tell
the difference between
father Christmas
and Karl Marx
In glorious bloom


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Nelson Mandela

end of the long walk
for one so great but your dream
of a rainbow nation
still runs deeply in my veins

i know you will not pass
this way ever again
yet, your light shines ever so brightly
in the minds of many who adore you

you are the beacon of hope for humanity
the patron saint of the down-trodden
father of the dispossessed
comforter of the weak, the deprived and fearful souls

i shelter under the sumptuous wings
of your moral universe; mining dreams
basking in your sublime presence
the power and the mystery of your greatness divine

you capture the moment with dignity and grace
shaking the foundations of the evil empire;
tearing down the walls of apartheid; praying
for peace and reconciliation for all; rescuing millions

deepest night: the cloud covers the moon
and death stalks the Chosen One as time grinds to a halt
and yet, the indomitable spirit
of this timeless hero is still alive and kicking

you are Madiba, the anointed one
the illustrious son of Qunu, the architect
of reason and justice, of forgiveness and hope
the faithful lover of peace and prosperity

behold the Great Mandela
a magical mind
of a thousand lights
transforming the moral universe



© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Songs of Wonder

December dances in my orbit like a swarm of dreams; pacifying my soul; leading to the great transformation of complex emotions. There’s an excitement in the air as I glide towards the festive season made of poems.

the rainbow lorikeet
sings of love in the age of reason
breaking the cloud

The sensuous buds of the realm also make their voices heard; rapping upon the hill of freshness with laughing eyes; singing of love and poetry and emotion; capturing the sun and shadows; proclaiming the new day with youthful happiness (a task most noble).

death of spring blossom
yet, her beauty
shines through my soul

You ebb and flow like the tide of destiny; mending the broken hearts; fulfilling the dream. And yet, I yearn for your soothing fragrance in the living waters of life. I immerse myself in your essence sublime; changing my life forever. Things will never be the same again. Why am I so lucky?

i sing the
nuptial song with lips of fire
this glorious day

I hold the tender hands of Passion with lustful eyes; dreaming of heaven; seeing the delicate beauty in my visual field, the ripples of love divine. How wonderful is the rise of complex desires in the age of uncertainty?

i capture the love particles
in the fecund valley of delight…
unlocking the greatest
mysteries of the universe



© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Images of Dreamtime

living the dream
is not for the faint-hearted
there are many twists and turns
along the scented lane

yet, I can see a speck of light
in my visual field
a scent of spring blossom
a drop of honey in the darkest hour of need

it’s a restless night
in Yawnsville
a night of pain and suffering
a deluge of endless sorrows…

i fall through
the cracks
of this colourful dream like the lost boy
battling the evil wind

i emerge from the chaos
like a hero. Like the true son of the soil
like a player in the game of chance
weaving the golden web of desire

and yet, the struggle continues as
i search for meaning. I approach
the food chain like a soul deprived
like the working bee on heat; thinking of first love

the quivering of the yellow moon
tickles my fancy. And I embrace the new dawn
with waves of lust. I liberate my soul. I worship in
the Temple of Hope in Terra Australis

i watch as the Priest of Hearts (this joyful soul)
wrestles with the golden birds of the realm
prowling the depths of emotion and devotion
speaking of heaven under the Star of David

my heart leaps for joy as the tiny
sparks of love particles dance to the rhythm
of the earth: probing, caressing
soothing the lonely hearts of many in Findon

i manage to utter a few words of praise
to all the gentle souls in the empire of dreams
feeding. Nourishing. Comforting the inner child
in the dreamless ‘hood of reason



© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Road to Utopia

a deepening night
on the fatal shore
yet, you light up my path in silence
you bathe my soul
with countless blessings

your beauty flows
through my orbit
like the gentle river of joy
energising
every molecule in my veins

i eat the god of passion
in the heat of the moment;
merging into oneness
finding the way
into the luminous heart of the beloved

hope drops like honey
bruises heal. Scars fade.
the journey begins in earnest
you fill my desert places
with spring blossoms of desire

i embrace the new dawn
like ducks to water
i ride the waves of destiny. Learning.
searching. yearning
i lust after the magic fragrance of reason

i walk along
the winding path of promise
still longing for you;(listening to the mocking bird)
how so lonely
i feel on the road to Utopia


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Dream of New Life

two worlds collide
creating
a new life on this
floating
rock of time

now, the taste
of heaven flows through my veins
like the sea of ecstasy
like the rush of passion in the morning
grooming love molecules within

the gentle spirit soars
as new light shines from the
sleepy bosom of the baby universe
purifying my soul
this longest day

i embrace the new
dawn of a thousand memories
like an orphan deprived
like the lonely child of welfare
like this tempting apple of my eye

and, yet, I hope for the best
like these refugees
in Terra Australis
doing the daily battle for
survival on the fatal shore

living the dream…
how wonderful is the
spring blossom
the warmth
of unseen hands!



© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Gift

epitome of desire
the sky is heavy with the beauty
of your fragrance

a carnival of colours
on the luminous isles of dreams
sonnet of the lost boy

touched by the light
i savour the nectar of the first
flower of spring

new dawn
you lift my spirit with the magic
pollen of your sweetness

you are exquisitely tender
like Venus on heat
like all these buds and blossoms

playmate of the realm
how wonderful is your essence
the limpid eyes of blue

opening the cocoon…
the butterfly
fulfils her dreams

i taste the gift sublime
the sacred fruit
untouched by the human hand



© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

My Father's House

a new Tv
in my father’s house
yet, in my solitude
i listen to
the sound of summer rain

i feed on
the potent fragments
of love particles in the hour of need
gleefully playing with the
excited neutrons in the orbit of Desire

i think of the magic blossom
and the quasars of fortune in my visual field
seeing the cosmic nymph of time
in a wonderful garment of light
nurturing my solitary soul in the new paradigm

the cheeky neutron from the distant planet
captures the moment; propelling me
towards the endless universe; kissing my eyes;
drawing me into the luminous
world of ageless beauty and strange shadows

i dream of the glorious age of innocence
i brooch the fundamental questions
of colour and light in the rainbow universe
i sing the blues
in the landscape of wonder

now, as curiosity snares my spirit,
like these colourful birds in the garden
i whisper to the past but embrace the future
i splash out like a meteor, like the Chosen One on a mission
finding my way at the edge of nirvana





© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Secret Place

you hover
in my orbit like the wandering moon
like Nefertiti’s kitten
purring with growing intensity

yet, distance cannot
contain your tender gaze
nor can adversity diminish
the sublime beauty of your essence

poetry blossoms
purifying my soul
sowing the seeds of wonder
in the first light of dawn

the sun flickers
two planets melt into
each other like lovers on heat
transforming the universe

now, the Word liberates
my consciousness; anointing my soul
… how wonderful is pure awareness
the knowledge of the unknowing

the earth whispers
the desert dreams of rain
sound of silence

the tongue escapes his destiny
exploring the secret places of the heart with gusto:
teasing, kissing, loving; ravishing the gentle rose
in the moist hour

powered by love molecules
consumed by passion sublime
we merged into each other; sharing the dream
finding the verb to be



© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Timeless Beauty

how i longed for the birth of light
before the day of wonder
a future full of promise
yet, in this land of anguish and hunger,
the road to the Golden Grove
is not for the faint-hearted

but there is hope under the mushroom cloud
as the rainbow lorikeet sings,
and the moon dances
in the gentle waves,
my humble heart brims with joy
i tweet the wonders of Terra Australis

indeed, there is so much fun in
this desolate land of ravishing beauty
a land of terrible fruitfulness;
nurturing my dreams on the fatal shore
waltzing with me in silence; purifying my thoughts;
writing the first stanza of my being

it is a land of infinite tenderness, a utopian enclave
of artistic splendour, of heroic virtues of the Dreamtime
leaping into love like a new moon in my orbit
drawing my soul into her luminous heart
blending unrequited longing with endless boredom
even with all these loaves and fishes


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Winter's Night

subconscious imaginings
and yet
the earth still moves

winter’s night…
behold the hungry Eve of beauty
this apple of desire

she emerges from the golden
pond with a necklace of poems
caressing my soul

the first scene
i plant the seed of wonder
fireworks

i stroke
the cheek of an atom
i shall not fear

scent of an epiphany
you steal my heart under
the flame tree of destiny

tempt me with
the honey of your tongue
winter moon

sound of fecund ribs
stars blossom like lilies in the field
like this smile on my lips

taste of the divine
i worship
on the mound of Venus

now, the young lion comes
out to play
massaging the universe


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Secret Code

i beat the odds
waves of mesmerising calm
run through my veins

winter rain
i shelter under the sumptuous
wings of beauty

exile in Terra Australis
the lonely sun
breaks through the cloud

love winks
the galaxy gives up its secrets
tears of joy

dream of certainty
a poem writing itself in the new
light of dawn

scent of the beloved
i tremble with delight
like this butterfly in my garden

viola in her element
how wonderful is the winter
flowering genius

grains of laughter on my pillow
i crack the secret code
of desire in the nick of time


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Fairest Flower

you are the magic fragrance of desire
the lucid stream of beauty that flashes through
my transparent soul; anointing my
body with the balm of love
yet, the icy cold wind continues
to blow away my dreams;
clouding my vision
smashing my hopes on the fatal shore
this deepest night,
sleep deserts me in the land of sleep

and yet, I find myself
i glide into the sublime realm of solitude
like a poet possessed
like a wandering neutron in orbit
like a desperate winter’s soul
falling into the sensuous hands of spring
seizing the moment…
nurturing the inner child
in this garden
of fairest flowers

i taste your divine nectar with lips of fire
longing for more…
love particles liberate
my consciousness
this fragile moment of being
i swim in the golden river of time
finding the doorway to serenity where
hopes and dreams cohere
the passion flower blooms in earnest
brightening my days forever


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Touching the Moon

on the wings of Eros…
i taste
your divine essence

we find each other
in the primordial pond of time and…
the word becomes flesh

epiphany of desire
love quivers
in the first light of dawn

overwhelmed by the heat
of passion…we dance
to the pulsating rhythm of the earth

we morph into
oneness (you and I)
cradling the baby universe

on the first day
i grow in you in absolute silence
touching the moon with my fingers

i sample the divine
juice of life
bathing in your beauty

i become part of your goodness
feeding the love
molecules with limpid eyes

© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Fragrance of Wonder

how wonderful
are the delicate blooms
in autumn’s first yawn
the scented hills of delight

behold the immense beauty
of Dahlia, the Queen of autumn
in her colourful best

oh the autumn moon
oh the flaming lips of passion
oh the divine fragrance of wonder
perfuming the Milky Way

the pink flower in my garden
i yield to
the pollen of desire

i soar like an eagle
like an angel on heat
like all these souls in the Moonflower Palace
freed from the ghettoes of hopelessness

sing to me, cricket,
the joyful
songs of autumn past

hello to the autumn
flowering-bulbs
the magic fragrance that melts
my humble heart


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Autumn's Wake

Akim arrives with a pocket full of hope; looking for the transformative experience that would propel him to better and greater things. He is a refugee from way back who embraces the new life with gusto. Now, he sings his blessings as the earth moves. The cloud dances. And the air flows unhindered.

sound of silence

in the Struggle Street

fear of autumn

viola in bloom

who says

autumn is dead

cool days ahead

the maiden flight of the

autumn leaf

Essentially though, Akim is a young man in a hurry, a realist in the true sense of the word - a soul in need of succour. But there are enormous challenges ahead. His real dilemma is deciding how to do the daily battle for survival, as he takes a daring look at the food chain; finding the burgeoning contours of his world.

the warm

colours of autumn foretold

joyful garden

one day in Findon

i tweet

the glories of autumn

the butterfly

in her element

autumn chic

The thought of making it in the Land of Oz consumes him both physically and emotionally; affecting his every move. Now, he dreams of greener pastures; gazing at the falling leaf.

autumn

rose on my pillow

fireworks

fruits of my labour…

the generosity of autumn

in my visual field

behold the golden

rays of the wandering sun

autumn wind

© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

End of Summer

it’s a journey to remember
but the end of summer is not so sweet. (Gone are
the restless birds, the tempting feathers of beauty)
melancholy sets in as the music begins to fade.
what with all the bushfires and flooding rains -
the countless pieces of shattered
dreams along the track of beyond
now, there are holes in my shoes, the tender foot
crying for mercy, longing for home
yet, I find solace in the divine hands
of Humour, as her soothing voice touches my soul
offering new possibilities in the temple of delight.
her infinite goodness gladdens the heart
and brightens my days in this ocean of uncharted terrain


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Power of Humour

submerged in the
dark side of the winter’s moon
i shed a tear

in the midst of longing
humour comes to the rescue
liberating my consciousness

sorrows of the fallen soul
wrapped in the wings of humour
this fateful day

the cosmic nymph
dances with the gentle wind
sound of laughter

school of hard knocks…
i walk along the fatal shore with
a good dose of humour

humour
drops like honey…
famished years

i do the daily battle for survival
savouring humour
in the middle of chaos

behold the healing power of humour
the tonic of the soul
the dazzling beauty on the inner screen


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Secret Passage

ice cream
in my visual field
sultry heat…

wild things in the ‘hood
i lick the core
of Serenity with gusto

the magpie
perches on the eucalyptus tree
the sound of passion

hungry lips
in the Isles of Promise
i sing the blues

the green light…
romantic tales of wonder in
the text message

the spark of the divine
in the secret passage beloved of migrants
wattle blossoms

i cross the road
thinking of the falling leaves
the challenges of living on the edge


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Child Soldier

new dawn
for the former child soldier
cherry blossoms

swords
into ploughshares
love molecules drop like honey

a taste
of life in the food chain
anxiety rules

child soldier on edge
let the
healing begin

inner peace
a night without the sound
of sputtering guns

the child
soldier in mufti
evening cool

a passing shower…
tears
of the child soldier

lucid dream
i rescue the child soldier
in the nick of time



© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

The Transit of Venus

My face glows with thoughts of delight as I observe the transit of Venus, a phenomenon that dwarfs the human mind; filling my heart with a sense of excitement and a good dose of pioneering energy. It is a sublime spectacle, a luminous landscape of promise; an enigma wrapped up in a riddle; covering hectares of heaven where the cosmic nymph sings and dreams come true.

with this iphone

i capture the transit of Venus

chasing dreams

learning to walk

along the transit of Venus

one step at a time

dark disk on the face of the sun

how cool is the kiss

of bliss in the transit of Venus

I sit like an angel on heat in the primordial pond of time drunk with love divine; looking at the poignant picture of the endless universe; the aching dance of day and night a pleasure to behold. Yet, a flash of love particles in the orbit of Venus captures the moment.

the lost boy in hot pants…

taking the

transit of Venus by storm

gold dust

in the transit of Venus

scent of the Big Bang

you shake off the blues

in the transit of Venus…

narrowing the distance between us

Who talks of entropy when there is so much love and energy in the discovery of exoplanets, a spontaneous explosion of aesthetic delight. The sun sings. The cosmic rose blossoms. A new river of nectar rolls into my visual field. And a new way of life emerges in the fecund universe of desire.

a still small voice echoes

in the transit of Venus…

the sound of love grass growing

i sail across the transit of Venus

with limpid eyes; reading

the secret fragments of life foretold

a flurry of love particles liberates

my consciousness; energizing my soul

in the transit of Venus

© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Quest for Survival

i glide into
the future with my head
among the eagles
channelling
the God of small things

captivated by the world of energy
sound and rhythm…
i arrived at the crack of dawn; carrying
the vivid fragments of life
along the river of creation

it all started as a simple
journey up the pecking order
no lights
no cameras
no emails from the cyber space!

nothing but
the quest for survival…
the rugged determination
to catch
the falling star


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo