The Paradox (a poem by Nwafor Oji Awala)

 

A gilded cage, a whispered plea,

A yearning deep, eternally.

We chase the gleam, the phantom light,

Enslaved by shadows, day and night.

 

For trinkets bright, and whispered fame,

We barter souls, and bear the blame.

A restless heart, a hungry eye,

On we are all slaves, beneath the sky.

 

The fleeting joy, the hollow sound,

A gilded cage, where freedom's bound.

We build our towers, tall and grand,

But find ourselves, in shifting sand.

 

For what we crave, a fickle friend,

A whispered lie, till life's end.

And in the grasp, of what we seek,

A captive heart, for love's cruel week.

 

So let us see, beyond the haze,

The empty promises, and fleeting praise.

For in the depths, of what we crave,

A truth resides, that we must save.

 

A quiet soul, a gentle grace,

A different path, a different space.

To break the chains, of what we crave,

And find our freedom, in the wave.

 

© Nwafor Oji Awala