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