POETRY: A Time to Hope

By ISMAIL OMAMEGBE

A Time to Hope

The sprout rises from the dry land, ready palmate leaves for rain.
The Lichens adapt in the heat, abstain from immediate gain.
The butterfly hovers and claps on pollinated harmattan lilies flaps
Its eight-patterned wings, painting colours in montage overlap.

You are a hallmark of mutualism…
In your inclusivity and personality,
In your innovations and solutions
In your relationships and resilience.

And in the sojourner’s lake, your reflection shows what’s at stake:
Look at your image – beyond the blurs and ripples,
Beyond the cloud reflection, beyond the sun dapples.
Look intently and intensely – don’t take flight in wings of despair, staying awake,
Only when the surface isn’t still as you thrive in streams and rivers of black and white,
And shy away from the lake of gray and its beautiful light

You are a symbol of uniqueness…
In your creativity and compassion
In your confidence and communication
In your attitude and empathy

Look at the ripples unfolding as you drop a little pebble in the lake,
Look at the impact of the simple choice you make.
Choices are the roots of your future, the building blocks of your goals.
Remember that the roots of the trees cannot stop the wind from blowing,
but can withstand the effects of the windstorm busting and gusting.

To get the honey from the hive, you must confront the bees.

You are a facilitator of success…
In your motivation and hard work
In your knowledge and engagement
In your patience and consistency

So, go through the many doors of hope – only then shall you find:
For Hope is the taproot of failure and the fruits of success.
Hope is the patience and wisdom of trees to shed their leaves,
in one season enabling them to endure several seasons.
Hope is the thread that binds the good in humanity, not the lion to a herd.
Hope is the lessons of pain, the flourish of experience, the wellspring of memories.
Hope is the key to unlocking the chains of the prison of the present.
Hope is to be kind even when the world dishes out the elixir of hate.
Hope is the courage of the fish to spring from the pond in search of the sea.
Hope is knowing that our happiness lies at the bedrock of our choices and decisions.
Hope is crossing the bridge between time and opportunities.
Hope is the glimmer of light in the eyes of the homeless, victim of famine.
Hope is the voice from the lake that flows within you –
Listen to the voice within – listen to your voice of purpose:

Ismail Omamegbe is a strategic marketing communications expert. He won an ANA/Cadbury Prize for Poetry with his maiden collection ‘The Labyrinth of Hope’. He is also the author of the collection ‘The Colours of Seasons’.