Laughter Poem by Onyi Ogwumike

A golden elixir bubbling in my throat,

Rising to the edges of the cracked asphalt.

Levitating,

Closed eyelids, the sun turning my inner mind orange.

Can’t be bought.

Always, forever, being sought.

Diamonds thrust down,

Gold and silver, climbed over.

Tumbling, toppling over the treasure chest.

Climbing Mount Everest to the sun.

Like jumping out of your skin,

Stepping back,

Halting time just to look at one moment.

One moment,

One sweet moment full of honey and nectar and….

And euphoric hue filling my heart,

And a symphony.

A symphony with my senses tingling,

With my senses synchronized in one big concerto of…..

My veins pulsing and my eyes swelling,

A tear.

A tear filled with one moment where life is worth living.

Life is worth living.

Some jewel, so far out of your reach and yet…

So close.

So close, almost in your grasp, you can feel its presence.

That warm ghost, that loving embrace.

Its arms around you, holding you tight, your eyes roll with sweet delight
.
“I finally found you… where have you been? ”

It wipes the tears from your eyes, and your ebony face cracks with bliss.

A smile… A smile, a small twitch of your face muscles.

I missed that smile.

I missed that…

That rush of blood to your cheeks,

That pounding sensation in your lungs.

I missed the strobe lights in your eyes.


I missed the laughter.