Hope

By

George O. Obikoya

It may be dark yet again

And hurt as never before

All may seem bleak again

Life itself not worth the pain

Everywhere you look is gray

No one seems alive to wave

Even the innocent is fazed

To see so much pain prevail

You want to hide your shame

For the children to smile again

A face so smothered with love

A heart that bleeds ever for all

The sunup dew tries to soothe

A lone soul longing to gain

Peace eternal for all it prays

For that face to smile again

Hear my plea brothers all

Sing my song our sisters too

Live your life a world anew

Praise yourself for once again

Time you know is forever sly

To pass us by always so stealth

Just so we feel it’s there still

It clicks in us as bones are frail

How then we must not renege

Or tremble at the dust of pain

It is still all there for us to see

To trudge on even as we ache

Mother where at thou we say

The bosom of whom we crave

To nurse us back to life in vain

Only for us our pain still is real 

It is hard to know that we live

Here all by ourselves, so alone

To face our day with gusto all

Just to see it all fritter away

Yet, we must ever move on up

Trail our rainbows with resolve

With firmness of faith in us all

Trusting we will soon prevail

We may be awed once more

Weighed down by fate again

Troubled by what we lack

The vision to know we gain

Folks trusted may fail again

To show us the love we give

And live by rules we all share

Or see life with bounty great

Others may seem so far away

Their spirits in just where so

Not you or any bears in truth

Where their souls ought to be

Even thoughts of shame fly

From you to see the lights

And prepare to bear no pain

As life beckons to you anew

Yet, naught in you my friend

Must make you not live again

Not even to find shame stares

Should stop you to flee from pain

Be strong to make your move

To be happy again another day

Life is too short to wait for you

To want to linger for ever in pain

Hope is not too much to seek

For you to make ever your day

It is just not there for all to see

But also to hold for ever to gain

We must trust in ourselves now

No matter how hard it seems

Take our lives in our hands

Feel life is worth living still

Gloom not to face whatever odds

They will happen time and again

Tell yourself it is not you to quit

Just so your troubles go away

Let your woes inspire you too

As they did those before you

To give you a chance ever at all

And make your life bloom again

Others sometimes labour for us

Toil for ever to make our day

Let not the sweat be ever in vain

Of a soul that seeks no recompense

Thus we engage the cycles of life

One age to the next all over again

But none is always there for real

Just so we know life is now still

So, croon and celebrate your life

As long as it lasts it is for real

That it is snatched is true too

As that it is only for just a while

You run around ever to please all

And overlook you are also a star

With dreams so very dear to you

And a life to live always in full

It is my duty you are wont to say

Fidelity passed down the ages

To be good to all as so you care

Now it’s time to be good to you

Let shame steer out of your way

Of life you must not be ever lame

It is yours just as others hold too

Their lives dear so also you must

We often tend to crush our dreams

As we lose control we so treasure

For reasons hard for us to see

Even as we try hard to know

Despair not my friend you say

You and your folks must prevail

In life of furor you band to gain

To live yet another day in praise

With all aboard the train of life

No one would be left behind

In spirit to feel the pain alone

The plight of life we must share

You will do your best for sure

Nothing more is there to say

For others where you left off

The veil of the struggle remains

So take control of your life again

As much of it as you could

Yet you must be clear to so do

And real to know you live too

Hope must ever stay with you

Your tears of joy will yet say

With your mind so then to feel

You have played well to gain

Even what you cannot tweak

Let not make you ever go astray

As you amend your goals again

You are in charge of life you say

You sure can be happy my friend

In a world there is so much pain

Outside you may truly be beyond

So to do your best is ever your goal

Be kind even to those that hurt you

For maybe someday they’ll change

And be at peace with their souls

So to be mean to none ever again

Hold on to your dreams and pray

For the sun to shine on you again

That you may have life abundant

In hope for you and all mankind

All will be well for all for sure

Let us be hopeful and be happy

To have a chance to be here at all

And live life with peace and grace

Hope is indeed what we need

It is the engine of life we will

In our hearts and in our dreams

So life will be great for us again.