Who Is A Man That He Should Boast? Poem by Ojeikpo Elijah

Who is a man that he should boast?
Is he a king, a ruler, or a ghost?
Is he made of gold, silver, or brass?
Is he just a mortal, destined to pass?

What is a man that he should boast?
Of riches, power, or status, the most?
Is he defined by his achievements grand?
Or by the legacy he leaves on land?

Who is a man that he should boast?
Is he a son of man, worthy of praise?
Or just a figure in life's endless maze?
Does he seek glory to be immortalized?

Who is a man that he should boast?
Or does he see through the world's disguise?
For what is a man, if not for his heart?
His actions, his choices, his very art?

Who is a man that he should boast?
His compassion, his kindness, his inner light?
Or just a facade, hiding in plain sight?
Can a man truly boast, when his time is brief?

Who is a man that he should boast?
When all is said and done, just a mere leaf?
Fleeting, fragile, in the wind of fate?
Is it not humbling, for a man to contemplate?


Who is a man that he should boast?
So let us not boast, of our earthly might,
But cherish each moment, in love and in light,
For in the end, it is not our fame,
But the goodness in our hearts that shall remain.