Uloma Remembered Poem by Kingsley Egbukole

It is a wonder I still remember you
The sadness of the past
When my feet disengaged
And ran away from my head
In pursuit of what was not
What manifested in illusion
To leave me sorrowful

Very short and very quick it was
But the pain lingered overdue

I wanted nothing more
My innocent heart sang
With the wrong assumption
That you are everything in one

The initial warm embrace
Swallowed line, hook and sinker
Was deceptively conceived
To temper with a tender heart

Once you let down your guard
But inexperience, shyness and timidity
Together robbed me a chance
To score a decisive point
Which would have calmed my pained nerves

When you decided to let the raw ore sink
Down the bottom of the sea uncaring
For another still as raw
To clothe my angered heart in shame
It was short and very quick
And the origin of a lingering pain

I remember the hard ways
I trekked ignorantly often
And express my thanks for lessons learnt

It was short, quick and painful
But never again will it be
Now that the ore is refined.

(Tuesday 18th March,2003,1.01pm)