By
Noel Ihebuzor
Living is loving, is leaving and
is learnng
from our falls
from our risks,
full of leaks,
from our hopes
which the snarer
the abuser, uses
as dope
to rope us in,
unwitting accomplices
to confuse,
to reduce, misuse
and abuse us
Soon we learn
from our pain,
our enduring gain
Hurt, wiser
we pray,
we strain
to live and love
and not fall or fail
or be fooled again
we step out
to live and love
fresh protective foliages
wrapped around our tender parts
screen protectors
for our fragile feelings,
from smashing
from fleecing
in the maddening den
where to live is to love
to love is to hope
and to hope is to risk
and risk is either
win or lose, even though
sometimes the choices
are between
empty, half full and full
between fleeing,
flying,
floating
and falling
or all
or none
of the above
Reflections 