The Birth of Light

you come in the crack of dawn
bearing gifts of wit and mystery
heaven on my lips

sing to me, little flower,
the golden
songs of joyful past

tempt me with
the power of your nectar
honeysuckle

paint my soul
with the living colours
of life sublime

twice in the moist hour
you anoint my body with
the magic fragrance of your essence

the secret beauty revealed
in the nick of time
rhythm of the lonely heart

i dance on the mound of Venus
stealing the flame. How wonderful is
the sound of passion?

love drops like honey
like this precious soul in my arms
like this delicate bud at play

the birth of light foretold
a chance to
contemplate the new dawn of hope



© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

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