A grain Of Thought

If all that matters
in the walk of life
was piles of tokens
and the rave of tongues
why do spirits sag
when ransoms float?

Such is the bane
of  goaded souls -
fleeced by dreams
and worldly dues -
for on to such
no peace accords.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

EMBRACE THE DAWN

Fading night upon on the dial

Culling lighter shades of gray;

And I, witness to this unfolding…

With dreams from  lumbering night

 Tethered yet to loads of care

Caused to defer my morning brew.

Still the pulse of dawn I hailed 

While  flakes from yawning eyes I flayed.

Then through the veil came morning dove

Rousing my listless being with song...

Onto the window my soles conspired

Where the face of beauty my gaze amazed -

Radiant, ethereal – love supreme….

What lofty Renderings of a mighty hand!

And thus my lease of life  renewed

The ancient mystery  scrolls along

Another cycle of dream-time lore confirmed

As in slumbering death duly tromped

By the birth of the rising sun.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

History Teaches Us Nothing

The seeds of war

Lay dormant in the

Crucible of history…

Seething, breathing-

Waiting for the

Spring of discontent for

The grapes of wrath to bear.

And all across

God’s green hectares

People of goodwill

Caught in the throes

Of the twin enterprise

Of commerce and politics

Awoke to the gloom & doom

Of bombs raining over Kosovo.

         

Beyond the premise

Of rational discourse

And intended tidings…

The cooing lullabies

Of the lady dove,

 Strangely lured vultures

To the bounty of war.

 

Still in the rounding hours

Years and years hence I know

That the future broods

Would know this fate….

Like those of holocaust past-

Grim reminder that

History teaches us nothing.

      

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi©

I wrote this poem in 1998 in the wake of the Kosovo war after viewing the horrors of war and the refugee crisis the ensued. I made a grim prediction in the poem that we will see  similar human tragedy in the future. Since then we've seen war in Congo and now the Syrian war with millions of refugees fleeing to Europe. Hence are we humans doomed to make the same mistakes .......thus the my proclamation " HISTORY TEACHES US NOTHING"

The Triumph Of Will Above Grim Fate

A river speaks in many tones;

though shy, and reticent at birth

like a  muse deciphering codes 

and probing depths with easy ploy

of such grit and muted grace , 

lies  valor that knows no bounds.

In the throes of arduous flow

tricked by cascades, rapids
and boulder crests - he roars

and foams in gargling tones…..

as if on sputum yet he chokes.

This sound of liquid thunder folks,

 is the voice, of determination.

Having gnawed on rocks

with steely grace……

gaining girth from bank to bank-

engulfing plains and errant groves,
in full embrace of the open sea -

the old man hums enraptured psalms 

  of hope, affirming thus -

 the triumph of will, above grim fate.

By

 Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

Ballard Of The Exiled Sun

Oh morning sun why wait so long

And let the somber veil persist?

Our promise ribbon drapes the sky

That with  fondest love was stitched;

I’m waiting along the country mile

Oh morning sun to see you smile….

Don’t tarry long, don’t tarry long.

Oh mother, mother, mother dear!

I’ve heard your whimpers in the rain

Your heaving bosom knows the pain;

A friendly token is on its way

To chase the shadows from your heart-

Just hold on for another night.

Time is a river that runs its course

Heedless to haste or lingering sighs;
And love is the current beneath  the tow
easing the river's seaward flow.
Oh mother, mother, mother dear

Like a river, I'm coming to you.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

Of Mules And Men

" Dilemme existentielle "

Is there pride left In a mule
who the burdens of men
has mutely borne?


Though he may balk or kick
when wrongly stroked
or falter in the wake
of a gurgling stream
still when called
or coaxed to serve,
our wares he bears,
 with saintly grace;
like one whose calling, alas has found.

Leroi was a working man
He worked real hard
but his time was short -
for he had his bills and mouths to feed
he worked himself to an early grave!

Is there another hell for Leroi
when the one that grilled his life
 to him was willed at birth ?
For his soul's relief, God please forbid-
For the man you made, is not a mule.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

Too late

Stray bullet whistling by
Agent of hate and bravado:
Lost, yet with deadly aim
Son of a gun -
You sullen heart...
Look what you've done !



Why hide your face
Or seek the hills
Upon your awful hitch ?
Oh how the mascots
Lap your heels -
And you, in dread
A ruse or grace
You now  implore....
To shirk the wrath
Of vengeful eyes.

Was it the gun, or hand at fault
In this awful game or ploy
Of brutishness?
Or was it your pain your hurt
Knotted within and bottled up?
Questions abound for  all of us
Yet onto you confer no lease
Of wantonness !

Too late my friend , your hand is played
The chastely bounty lies in wake - and
Not a ruse or wand , can blot your trace.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi © 

The Heart Of A Poet

While the pride of of tinsel town
In their flare and liberal quests
aspire to fame and gilded plaques
Who in earnest covet  applause
long after the bright lights fade -
within whose ranks and kindred 
fold , life is tallied up by the tab.

Not so for the soulful bard -
mystic seeker of unfathomed wit
to whom laurels and tinsels bear no charm;
For what the spirit yearns is a quest apart
and onto chosen deities such biddings hark.
How blessed my lot to bear the mark !


Thus in the heart of hearts of space -
the den; where the genie laid her egg,
there, in cloistered hours of days
while amblers sip their vices on ice,
in the dim, I toil in verse and prose-
plucking the void for anointed words
to reel my thoughts from airy heights.

And when from furrowed brow
through smiling plume,
my thoughts on parchment  flow-
Only the heart of a Poet would find
in such a modest tryst......
a thrill so deep to keep or share.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

Moments

Moments, ever so fleeting

Like shadows in the dark....

Leave impressions etched in stone.

Moments of bliss -moments of ecstasy...

Moments of sorrow - moments of pain

Brewing emotions that wrench the heart.

Moments, like an ever rolling stream

Transport us through time and space....

In this transient journey called life;

Moments of quiet contemplation....

Of first steps and giant leaps -

Moments of despair and confusion

Of the signs on every mile-post.

Moments, like the colors of the rainbow-

Blue, green, red and yellow....

Cast a shade on the picture we paint.

With every brush stroke

Leave your mark.......

Moment, by moment, by moment -

Quilting masterfully

A bright and radiant tomorrow.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

Long Before The Sunset Of My Life

"Nirvana Sunset"

Magic canvas in amber glow….

Cicada symphony in the key of life

Dancing fire flies all aglow –

Such is the radiance of a fading day.

Beauty and splendor – yes indeed!

To the mortal being a notion to heed

Such lessons in majesty, I must imbibe...

That my golden years

May be beautiful just the same.

In the prime of life I pledge –

That each morning’s breathe inspire

Golden acts born of pastel thoughts….

That a little beacon may I become

Guiding lost souls onto the light

Long before the sun set of my life.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

A Lease Of Lore

Onto the seekers, he gave his word

As to knowledge, its tenets and such

That understanding begets a charge

a lease of lore - and keenness thereof
For the foolish mane so to shed.

Now hail you scions of Socrates

To whom his don bequeathed;

Bid not your laurels beguile your wit

Nor dim your hunkering souls.

Yet if need of comic mirth

And your fancies so concur,

Crash the knit-wit blooper fair

watch dupes of age cavorting glee

 auction their stock for token bits

Just to ride the Ferris wheel.

And you ,birthed not of haughty stock

The foregoing you must abhor-

For knowledge bears not

Fruits of covetousness;

Let noblesse your fledgling crowns adorn.

                                                  

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

PAIN

       
 

That which at a moment's pulse

Would thwart the will, and bid it

Wish or seek the tyrant's hand

While tinsels and plums rot in vain.

Who feels it knows - when smiles turn to brine...

And  scowls  the anguished port would drape

Where from the sun in haste had set  adrift .

Of different shades and tones confirmed:

The sudden stitch - the jab - the stab.....

The lazy rodent gnawing the trunk!

Oh how the maiden she buckles so

While the fruit of life she bears,

And the crowns of men anointed thus

With a load of daily cares!
Though some the bewitching hand may rile-

For life's entangled web of woes,

The bane of such to one repose,

Who at the creeper's behest, to sin conspired

And the evil eye forth no shame would know;

Her unyielding aspect, a constant foe

Rattling cages, bruising souls ;

Our charms and potions  rendered naught-

The vilest of which no peace accords!

Yet to the faithful succor brims, and hope abides

To all who the promised rapture await

When all that was written will come to pass.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

Patience

  

Great sentient muse, thy virtues we seek:

May we with temperance course through life

Not like the cold tempestuous sea-

That breaks and foam and curse in strife;

But through prayer and chastity be like Job

Who in temptation eschewed blasphemy.

What beauteous art thy hands have wrought….

Earth wind and fire at your behest

Did in time conceive such vaunted works

Of which with reverent due, our mouths attest.

Oh patience! Thou who from faith ensued;

Wring from us all impulsive strains -

That with forbearance, may we endure

With stalwart hope, our quest for eternal bliss.

 

                   By

         Hope Kalé Ewusi©

Coming Out Of The Dark

" The examined life "

I’ve plowed red earth
With the might of a dozen oxen….
Scattered my grains on glistening dew;
The reaper inquires in my stead-
How does one count to twelve….
When one is missing from the grid?
　
Dark nights and checkered dawns
Have I of lately known……
Danced on the razor’s edge,

Barely holding on-
What kept me from tipping?
　
The masquerade has come and gone...
And I too, must move along;
Broken clay pots seldom mend….
So I’m picking up the drift woods
Of by gone tides;

　

I’ll make myself a happy fire
And feast upon its crimson eggs-
Onto new trails the ashes spread

This token oblation …….
My slumbering cocoon quickened thus;
Brand new butterfly – watch me soar.　
　
By   Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

Keg Of Mystery

            

Above the hatches the regent retreats

His dwindling radiance in vain resists

The taunting twilight’s beknighted sway

Who descending, casts abroad in shades of gray

A call to sundry folks their steeds to rein.

While some hearts may gloat with striven gain

Those that brood and sag beneath life’s strain

Pray they find in night’s alluring scroll

A friendly shawl to shield their souls.

Still there is a keg of mystery yet untold-

How greenery sprouts, and flower buds unfold

And tendrils leap the void to grab a stake-

Deep in the night for goodness sake

While yet we sleep, and dream of morning’s wake.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi©

From The Wells Of Knowing

 " Timbuktu Chronicles "

Some folk exalt the hand unseen

And often thank the stars above

For who or what their lot may be;

Life they claim is divine ordained-

That nothing that is, or ever could be

Is to chance, or happenstance.

Birds seek southern climes

In accord with changing times;

And sea turtles in time do seek

Sands of birth to spurn their brood

Just like the sun’s recurrent arc.

I’m neither turtle, bird nor sun,

Schooled in routine manifestation.

Within my chest, there beats a heart

That fuels my thoughts, my agile mind.

Anchored though to earth beneath

Yet consigned to budge or idly put...

 Fortunes beck , the will impels.

 While seconds  each day from drudge unfurl

And cross roads here and there may loom

confounding thus - my wits about -

From the wells of knowing I must imbibe;
For such lore that once hailed my sable tribe
With stalwart zeal, pray my soles would guide

From shifting sands, onto the finish line.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi©

Embedded  images are from Mali.....featuring the Timbuktu Scrolls and an ancient learning center

CUPFUL OF LONGING

I’ve seen the walls of cathedrals...

Marveled at their towering spires.

I’ve stood before ornate alters

My ears thrilled with homilies

And utterances of impassioned clerics:

I’ve sung hymns and canticles

That glorify the heavenly chieftains-

Pressed flesh onto flesh on padded pews.

I’ve seen faces, faces and more faces

In the holiest of holy places; yet

Absent most conspicuously was that of God.

And thus my heart remains a cupful of longing

My tangled arms – a wish for ultimate embrace:

My soul is stirred – my quest unfolds.

There’s a need in me that compounds my zeal

To seek and probe the depths within -

For the divine I sought and never found…..

In iconic enclaves that exalt ecclesiastical vanity.

Author: Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

Today

  "Mid Summer's Bluff"

I love you "today"

For your transient bliss

That my heart has set at ease;

and as I face all that will unfold

Each tick  I hope is speckled gold.

Thank you "today""

For your promise of tomorrow

Unsealed though it may be;

I’d take it all by the throw

For the blessings of  yesterday I hope

My soles would stir all thru’ the maze.

 

I’m hopeful "Today" yet  perturbed

by stagnant hours caught in frames-

with bungee seconds stretched wide…..

pliant-defiant – like wayward sons,

unhinged- untamed by scornful eyes.

Charged though my crest this day

With shards of reverie -

 I wear my crown without regret.

But should you "Today" your grace

enshroud with cloaks of penury

I’d loathe and shun you so – and wish….

upon a cloud that it would rain on you.

Author: Hope Kalé Ewusi

REFLECTIONS

  “In The Shade Of A Pecan Tree”

Curious souls in trivial quest seek to know

By what design the rushing wind blows,

But in the throes of deeper contemplation

Would ponder the meaning and nature of things.

Thus from reflection to illumination - triumph ensues

For to know is to seek and decode the sage’s brow.

Yet triumph, though sweet a serpentine bliss

Onto fallenness  and shades of blue must bow.

For loss, change-decay to life is bound,

Like an importunate foe courting our door.

Still not to the wise alone  such keenness is due.

If onto fatal instincts the laggard concedes,

Doomed are his sails when life’s gale tidings blow

Yet in life, hope abides to all who would accede.

By

Hope Kalė Ewusi ©

FACES

Finding identity

In crowded places…

Each countenance flush

On frontal display;

Bearing contours of similitude

Yet never the same-

The one from another.

See the look of love…

Of anxiety – mighty dread

Caught in frames of fleeting spells;

Radiant smiles mocking

Gloom’s ugly scowls and eyes

Flush with stirring, reflecting humanity.

 

Scaling the spectrum

Of generational fervor,

The once cheery cherubic

Infant glow duly savored,

Yields to ascending years

Of youth’s chiseled flair.

And soon the sun setting

Fletches of mortality

Would each primal façade imbue

 Life defining impressions-

Fleshy folds – wise scrolls…..

Unique each, as the story it tells;

Faces bearing contours of similitude

Yet never the same, the one from another.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

TIME

Springing forth creation's bow.

Fleet its fletches like the orient beacon

As yet unseen in transient flow,

A moment's breathe in cosmic lore

Bears with wings the eternal flame.

Still in constant reckoning, we humans

Our wits confounded beyond the pale

Each loaded capsules a hapless ploy

Consigned to tame the current's flow

Alas the mystery defies the quest.

Yet time, the genial teacher 

Father of the genie's egg;

Bestows the suckling with saintly grace

And the aged, wiles of the nesting owl

By his accord, but not our claim.

And so the beat goes on and on and on.....

We scribble history in serial frames

And  thread these through celestial looms

Our daily strivings as yet banal-

In comparison to the hands of time.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi ©

SEASONS OF BEING

Fleet the pageant – such is life

Of acts and scenes lived out in time

At once a farce, same roll for all-

Heirs to eternity, tromped by sin.

While as yet the wagon rolls….

Carting our wares from post to post

Far from the birthing pool, lapping on

Our reveling hearts swell with song.

But when the maestro drops his staff

And silence stills the chorus line…

Words forgotten upon our lips

Burn with penance late for the sky.

And so lies the mannequin in steady gaze

Scenes of winter, scenes of spring……

Of seed-time and harvest caught in frames

Not per chance or fabled law-

But in accord with mystic lore.

By

Hope Kalé Ewusi©

PLACES OF THE HEART

Placid beaches - stretched sandy lanes;

White breaking surf nibbling eager toes
Cozy vistas  afar so flung

Enraptured beings lost in  the haze.
Pleasures as such by guilty tabs despoiled-

Worth not the surety of a place called home.

Scaling slopes - cuddling airy climes

Where the air is crisp - a pristine song

Thrill seekers, their numbers enthralled

Embrace the wind on  ski - thrust breasts

While cabin fires with logs aglow

Dole out warmth not akin to a homely heath.

Where love’s pickets bounds the soul

Smiles and laughter tickle the lyre…

And there by the nurturing kitchen table

We gather for the breaking of bread

With time honored ghosts of the kindred fold-

There in their hallowed midst love abides.

Sure ginger bread moments oft' erupt

When each other’s neck we dare to snap

Yet the balm of kindred bliss, heals the pain-

For each heart bears a harvest of cheer.

Dream if you dare of bright spots under the sun

Where revelers go chasing water falls;

My circling wagon has wrapped its hitch:

I’m heading home - my sacred place of the heart.

Author: Hope Kale Ewusi ©

Jealousy

   “Masquerade”

Eyes like fire…

ripened with rage;

hissing sighs of lustful desires

the ugly face behind a page.

Arms stretched out in serpentine guile

lulls its foe with wry embrace-

caressing tenderly all the while

venom sips without a trace.

Born of inadequacies of self;

Beware of those too eager to please-

query their motives – their inklings too…

laugh with them – cajole and tease;

never hold your breath beyond a count of two.

For deflated egos do compensate…

For schemes and skits that go awry

With actions conceived to ingratiate.

Author: Hope Kale Ewusi 

Meditation.......

  “Of water & spirit”

Face to face with

The ocean I stand;

In reverence – in awe

Of grandeur extolled:

Deep and wide………..

From pole to pole;

Wavy curtains shimmering bright

Horizons unknown unite earth and sky.

Tireless in her ebb and flow…

Mystical journeys to countless shores;

Weaving enchanted tales of

Tranquil breezes and capricious hurricanes-

I listen with intent-waiting my turn.

Softly I speak to the wailing wind

In silent codes……..

Deep unrehearsed cogent thoughts

I’d rather  share with naught;

And the ocean in refrain my way she sends

Missives tucked in folds of roaring waves
Battering the ageless sentry crags
Where from mystic rain my gaze besiege...

Body and soul – drenched; anointed thus-

Salt crusted tears my spirit does purify.

Author: Hope Kale Ewusi ©