The Gentle Neophyte

against the darkness…
the jacaranda flowers in earnest
purple lawn

the gentle
neophyte in fancy clothing
this golden dawn…
bright sparks of new
life in Oz

celestial melody
in the dreamtime garden
the sound of laughter

there’s nothing
more beautiful as your
smiling eyes...
welcoming the new moon
with glee

the visions
of the Dreamer in hot pants...
summer folly

protect and nourish
the fertile crescent of your
soul in times
of drought and flooding rains
oh frisky neophyte of Oz


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Happy Holiday

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR

Notes on Suicide

Suicide continues to be a major public health issue in Australia, in recent years. Although death by suicide is a relatively uncommon event, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the human and economic costs are substantial.

Read the full story on http://africanrefugees.blogspot.com

The Sudanese in Tamworth

The road to paradise is not for the fainted-hearted; just ask the Sudanese refugees who are trying to settle in Tamworth, the so-called country music capital of Australia.

The Tamworth city council voted last year to reject an offer by the Australian Department of Immigration to settle the Sudanese families in the area, saying the town did not have the resources to cope.

But detractors of the local authority, including some members of Tamworth council are absolutely convinced that the decision was simply racist; arguing the city has the resources to look after 50,000 extra people every year when it holds its famous country music festival.

Weep not! This story has a happy ending. The Tamworth council has now reversed its decision to ban the Sudanese refugees in the area. And the African community leaders welcome the news.

This, indeed, is a great victory for the good citizens of Tamworth who fought (and continue to fight) for the rights of African migrants and refugees to live in the city.

The wheel of compassion turns ever so slowly.

More stories on http://africanrefugees.blogspot.com/

Echoes of Love

Amorous rose
In antipodean garden
Toasting
The New Year with
Songs of love

Echoes of love
And passion in Eden, this
Waxing moon
The beautiful sound
Of the nightingale

Beyond the fragile
Archipelago of the soul…
Cupid’s lair

Dawn of harmony…
Sensitive hot lips melting
The heart of stone

© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Summer Poem

They woke
Up to a white Christmas
Down Under…
Summer transformed
Into a winter wonderland

From fire to ice…
Even the snowflakes are
Having a field day

Miracles of
The festive season foretold
Santa Claus
In the Milky Way…
Snowfall in summer

© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo

Christmas Poem on the Menu

Christmas
Poem on the menu, this
Festive season
But who read the last
Haiku by candle light?

Santa Claus
In shopping frenzy on
Christmas Eve
Breaking the Bank of Fortune
In broad daylight

Tales of
Love and adventure
On Christmas day…
The neophyte turns on the
Light with a smile

Inspired
By the Christmas spirit
The dreamtime poet
Composed his first tanka
Over the rainbow

The young
Nigerian artist in festive mood
Surfing the menu
In the true spirit of
Antipodean Christmas


© Lawrence T. Udo-Ekpo