Happiness Lost<\/p>\n
I am standing on the pier
\nMy head bowed not against the wind
\nBut to hide the tears
\nA grown man must not shed<\/p>\n
“What ails thee” Said the boatman
\n“My earnings are in kobos* and coins.
\nBut perhaps I can help”<\/p>\n
I see him true and kind
\nThough lacking the gift of the “eye”
\nWill he dip his oar into my heaving chest
\nAnd stop the waves of despair?<\/p>\n
So I lingered at the doctor’s door
\nHe bade me step in for a moments span
\nA friendly ear in desperate times
\nBut failing to perceive what cannot be seen,
\nHe bade me adieu and pocketed his fees<\/p>\n
Then I went seeking nothing at the weekly market
\nHoping the noise would drown my thoughts
\nBut though they screamed like the occupants of hell
\nIt was as whispers in my ears<\/p>\n
I found myself seated at a buka’s* table
\nI looked at the food as if it was alien fare
\nSo the cook rested a while from roasting by her roaring flames
\n“Is the food lacking salt,” she asked
\n“Or the meat too hard for delicate teeth?”
\nCan she use fresh meat to mend the tear in my broken heart?
\nOr flames to sear the memories away?
\nSo I paid my due and left the meal untouched<\/p>\n
Where was I but in the vaulted halls
\nOn hallowed grounds in the neighborhood church
\nIt was at sunset that the priest found me
\nJust as I was on my knees an age ago
\nwhen the cock woke both the rich and poor
\n“My son” he said, though my age he was
\n“Some things cannot be fixed,
\nWhen the damage is done.
\nLook to Christ since you believe.
\nHis Hands are long
\nAnd his hearing keen
\nSo tarry awhile and pray a bit
\nHe will heal your heart
\nAnd perhaps grant your wish.”<\/p>\n
But happiness is lost
\nWhen I refused an offered heart
\nI struggled to regain it
\nBut Alas! Too late! It has been offered out
\nBetter a man than I, I guess<\/p>\n
So once again I stood at the piers
\nAnd let the wind blow away my tears
\nAnd asked the boatman to ferry me away
\n“To where?”, he asked
\n“Anywhere where my thoughts can not follow”
\nHe looked at me and saw the pain
\nSo he cast his boat adrift on the roiling waves<\/p>\n
And trailing my fingers in the sea
\nI thought I heard your laugh
\nTinkling in the deeming lights
\nlike silver bells gently in the wind
\nWhich once brought me delight and joy
\nBut it was the sea gulls
\nMaking light of my broken dreams<\/p>\n
And shining in the dark far from shore
\nTwo lines of salty thread
\nseeking path from eyes to jaw
\nlike drops of blood dripping on wood
\ncarrying hapiness to your ears I hope
\nwhile I linger upon this flimsy tray
\nand wish the wind would carry my sadness away<\/p>\n
*Kobo – coins of the Nigerian currency *Buka – public restaurant Happiness Lost I am standing on the pier My head bowed not against the wind But to hide the tears A grown man must not shed “What ails thee” Said the boatman “My earnings are in kobos* and coins. But … Continue reading ![\"Me](\"http:\/\/www.itayemi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/hapiness_lost.jpg\" "\\"hapiness_lost\\"")
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