Adaora,  (on her birthday)

Princess of the new world,
Beauty like night stars;
You melt the frozen hearts of men
With your smile.
It is of you
They sing
In the songs of the new year
At the end of the violent harmattan.

You,
Smooth like the ripe Utu
Of summer time;
You set my soul flying in ecstasy
Each time
I dream of a woman

Eyes smile,
Like newborn children
That see you
In the morning
Full of colours,
In full bloom.

Will I ever forget
The first day I saw you
Perched like the rose Butterfly
Voice like that of the song goddess
Reading the psalm of angels?

Will I ever forget those days of
Trying to see you again?

I was a tender heart
Seeking the face of an angel.

Everyday,  I think about you;
Days like this,  especially,
When the world celebrate
The birth of the new princess-
The birth of you.

I think about you
And I pray

May the light of your eyes shine brighter.

May the charm of your being
Hold me hostage
Forever.

Happy birthday,  dearie.

Many more years!

It's raining again.

In my head,  in my heart,  in my eyes.
My questions and demons are back.

Where do we go from this plains?
Blue cold Plains of anguish
Set before us....
By the unseen fingers of the years.

Where do we look for light-
Green rays of the sun
To lift our forlorn souls?

We were boisterous,
Days ago
Like children licking their toes
At full moon.
Just days after
And now we are growing old.

Age creeps on us like a creeping flood
We are separated from the vestiges of
Carefree laughter.

Today,  I met a man going southward
He was lying on a blue cloaked bed
Shedding the remnants of his wry skin.

And he said to me,  son,
It all goes up in smoke,
It's all going up to the sky
And nothing will be left behind.

It's raining hard
In slants.