Padmore Enyonam Agbemabiese

be patient with life, despite its cruelty
often it seems careless to shed tears
for something you cherish but lost
but let it bring you hope
...

I can't promise you roses
which bloom of brilliant red
but I promise, when you need me
as much as possible
...

last night
before I lay down to sleep
I prayed the Lord my shape to keep
to let no wrinkles come.
...

grow my sweet daisy
plant your roots within these veins
flourishing more so than
the grass that tickles your stem
...

we are the dog who caught the game
but are made to take comfort in the bones
beneath the master’s table
...

thank you is not enough
to tell you my deep feelings
about your thoughtfulness and the gift of love
but in the absence of the right word
...

I am
a black woman strong
beyond definition
standing tall by my words
...

when the last breath of life
is gone from my body
and my lips are as cold as the dog’s nose
when my friends gather 'round
...

time and fate may separate friends and lovers
but friendship or love that's true will live forever
true love conquers all odds with patience
and hope keeps them alive forever
...

each time the sun goes down
another day we leave behind
standing at its crossroad
I wonder what tomorrow may bring
...

God knows there would be times
we'd need a word of cheer
want the face of smile
to brush away our tears
...

I miss those blessed walks
down the dusty road with Grandma
to the grazing fields of Hlorve
where we’ll tether the sheep
...

my mother’s womb
is Noah’s Ark
in which I was saved.
...

sometimes our hearts should not beat alone
it needs someone whose presence
speaks to our grief, someone whose words
touches our souls already lost
...

the morning clouds have come
you were not in the shade

where were you
...

I want to tell my-story, our-story
not his-story stripped of my-story

I am going back to our-story
...

what happens to a dream deferred
does it dry up upon waking
like a stream in the desert
or does it fester and decay like meat
...

with nourishment and caring
flowers bloom in spring
from tiny seeds once planted
in the garden of our hearts
...

ever since we met behind the sheets of our eyes
in every breath I take in every step of the day
your presence lingers on the breast of my soul
and I feel the rhythm in my heart
...

she wanted to sing a song
but there was no ear to hear her sing
...