Smile

Smile.

A smile which charms,
A charm which disarms,
Breaks the defenses,
Drops the pretenses,
A smile which warms,
Pleasant emotion which swarms,
A smile which travels the miles,
To the heart through dangerous river niles.

© 2010 afeseh ngwa hilary

Who are you?

Who are you?

I have a question for you,
Who are you?
I know you are black or white or brown,
But who are you?
Yes you are from America, Asia or Africa or Cameroon,
But who are you?
I know you are a doctor or engineer or banker,
Who are you?
Beyond the clothes and shoes,
Beyond the color of your skin and the hair you wear,
Beyond the nationality and the tribe,
Beyond the career and the job,
Deep down within,
Who are you?
What substance are you made of?
What is the fibre of your mettle?
Who are you?
What is the weight of your humanity,
The content of your love and grace,
The expression of your compassion?
Who are you?
What is it which makes your heart beat,
Makes your adrenaline rush,
What is it which keeps you grounded,
When all is breaking around you,
What is it that gives you peace,
In the midst of that heartbreaking storm,
Who are you?
Behind all the veils and the masks,
What do you do when no one watches,
The thoughts you think in the secrecy of your mind,
That is who you are!
So tell me,
Who are you?

© 2010 afeseh ngwa hilary

I am leaving and living!

I am leaving in a moment,
I am living in the moment,
I am not living for the moment.

© 2010 afeseh ngwa hilary

Too young to die!

Quench that fatally deceptive thought,
It'll make you postpone battles which you could have faught,
Go check the tolls of war,
They will make you very sore,
I have seen them die at every age,
Some without a dime to their name,
Both athletic and maimed,
Some worth a million dollars and some minimum wage,
I have seen them still at birth,
Born to mothers with plenty and mothers with dearth,
I have seen accidents sweep all ages to a massive grave,
Seen disease sweep the young in a mighty wave,
Without warning and without known cause I have seen them eternally sleep a peaceful sleep,
Leave loved ones behind and bereft to weep,
I have seen death visit the hamlet and the palace,
I have seen death visit Bafut and Wallace,
I have seen death surely fatally gnaw the begger and the rich,
I have seen death steal a young life through poisoned sandwich,
I have seen it claim a life through a serpent's sting,
But that is better than death through a traitor's sting,
Doesn't matter how pleasantly or viciously he comes,
He despises age, wealth and knowledge in tomes,
I pray you will live long enough,
But kill that deceptive thought,
Give this moment your best,
Just in case the next moment never comes,
You are not too young to die.

© 2010 afeseh ngwa hilary

Another girl!

Another girl.

Canal which has seen the passage of eight female lives,
She lay there wasted from the pangs of labour,
The labor and work of child birth,
Takes a scolding for having another girl,
Hopeful anticipation of the coming of a heir,
Morphs into hateful deception,
At the reality of a contending heiress,
Foolish frown from the foolish man,
Who holds within his loins,
Power to make a female or a male,
He is spared nine months of pregnancy,
And spared a smacking,
For the scolding he now dishes out,
Which should be rightfully doled to him,
It must sting with killing ache,
To be blamed for circumstances,
Far beyond your control,
God have mercy on us.

© 2010 afeseh ngwa hilary

To a very special doctor.

You are very special,
I don't get a chance to tell you many times,
So I write this note to say,
You are special and very much so,
Endowed and blessed beyond compare,
Long hours at work may ache your muscles,
And bring you fatigue,
But the positive difference God uses you,
To make in the lives of your patients,
And those around you,
Puts a pretty crown,
On all efforts and energies spent in that endeavor,
Those who can go back home,
Back to living life again,
Because you went to work and worked,
The hope you bring with the doctor's touch,
And the unique privilege for that touch,
To replace the frown of pain,
With a smile of hopeful anticipation,
Be nourished from the sweet nectar of His presence,
And may you continue to find strength,
And reason to enthusiastically give,
So that somebody can breathe easier because you lived,
That is a lofty noble call,
Whose highest reward is in it,
keep that smile on your pretty face,
It is still the best make up known to man,
And by doing so, just maybe,
You give others permission to do the same,
The patient who comes in,
Not sure if the next second will come,
And even if that last next second doesn't come,
You can help them spend the current one,
The very last one,
With love, care, hope,
And a smile on their face ...
God bless!

© 2010 afeseh ngwa hilary

Nature's master stroke

Nature's master stroke.

In a quick moment,
You bring torment,
In a few strokes,
You carefully stoke,
A tornado strikes,
Power on wind bikes,
In the next stroke,
Again you carefully stoke,
The fires of fine art,
With one of nature's parts,
The most beautiful rainbow paints,
Work without a taint,
Your master strokes,
Your genius strokes,
Contrasting events with contrasting effects,
One leaves defects,
Both inspire awe.

© 2010 afeseh ngwa hilary