The Isle Of Hope
Far away over oceans, forests, continents, jungles, skies and clouds
Sat a girl of 9 on a wall of cement, kicking her legs against it,
Soaking in the sun, head tossed back and oh so proud
Dreaming of yesterdays which were full of now’s sad tomorrows
And wishing to be a grown up lady
In a world so free and uncagey.
œ
Crossed legs and hands in lap
Uncle teased and said ‘you can’t wait to be a lady?’
girl scowls and snaps
One day I will be and so far gone from here
To a place of light and also cheer.
œ
The Isle of hope streams through her mind
As she searches her imagination to the back of way behind
To a time long ago when she sat on fresh grass
And all around her was smoked wood and glass
Or so she thought green and young still
As she got caught in anothers’ story of will
œ
Green though she was way back then
One day she had to count to ten
As loves’ fought a dual with her in the middle
And her arms were used like the bow of a fiddle
œ
All alone, her thoughts charged with fire
She sought solace in her mind’s mire
And traipsed through the tears and pain of heartache
All for being a lady and for the Isle of Hope’s sake
œ
The Isle of Hope was where she could pretend
That all would be glorious for her to comprehend
Life’s comedies and tragedies that were hardly her doing
As loves’ plight continued on the road to suing
œ
Hope, faith and love, virtues all three
Hope at the time being the most important to she
For without it, how could she dream
Of tomorrow and freedom and where she will be?
œ
A wish for tomorrow became a tornado
And deep within her a place to cherish the writings of Plato
Practicalities sometimes, but sheer fantasy
As she dwindled in and out on the edge of symmetry
œ
On the heel of propaganda one love ran amuck
While the other descended into the depths of a large truck
The girl and her playfellows were left to wonder
Whether prayers had disappeared unanswered and into the yonder
œ
Sometimes it takes such a very long time
For things to resolve in children’s minds
But karma can take twenty years or more
And healing can take longer and still be sore
œ
But we all like to believe in the virtue of grace
And who it will favour in time and at what pace
One day sitting on the sand and getting a tanning
The next day thrust into almost oblivion like Terry, Angela and Jade Canning
œ
Hope, faith and love virtues together
Cling to each other in all kinds of weather
For where would we be without all three?
Hopelessly lost and all out at sea?
œ
The Isle of Hope sits surrounded by water
In a tale of girls mind and comes out every quarter
To reminisce and compare where she is today
On the shores of a journey in the month of May
œ
In a meadow inland high up on a tree
She sits on a branch feeling so twee
Contemplating the unknowing future of being like leaven
And tosses back her proud head and thinks of pure heaven.
8/6/04.
Liz Chukwu.©
