The Path I Have Chosen (A poem by Ugo Okeke)

I cherish an environment of calm serenity
With greenery trees of mango, orange, guava
Adorning the paved or otherwise roads,
Streets or natural bush paths,
When I lie down underneath any of them,

I get to hear the enchanting splattering murmurs
Of a spring running on rocks
And the chirping of grasshoppers and the birds
Conversing with me,
It captures my mood and inspires me to
Wave-making level of creativity.

I am a child of nature.
I go close to anything or being, human or animal
That owns bountiful folds of love
Which could draw me closer to the world
Of healthy fantasies for my inspiration.

Engaging in this pastime takes away nay,
Takes care of my worries, stress and pains.
That is the reason kids my unassuming friends
Worthy of emulation by an honest man
Warm up the most to my heart.

When I was young, I hunted grasshoppers
And bitter leaf stalk bugs at the government field
But never fed them my sparrow birds,
Set them free I always did after playing with them.

Like the uprightly sunning leaves in a green forest
Awaiting the rain showers of life to bestow on them
With love saintly of no half measure
I always prepare a stoic me for foreseeable
And unforeseeable eventualities.

As unassuming as I am,
I have come painstakingly to realize
That the world smiles not the way of a pair of happy eyes.
Happy eyes are the evidence of inward intactness.
I take solace in the fact that the Creator of nature is not
A human garbing the mischief and hate infested heart that
Has captured the thoughts and moods of humans.

For sure, human beings with love-besieged thinking caps
Parted on them on the day of creation do exist to exude love
To the appreciative hearts around them.

The world is more on the lookout for mistakes
And hardly will help you find your feet
By leading you to the book of wisdom.
Every intention is twisted, every gesture criticized
And misconstrued, but I live above aboard

Nothing whatsoever by
His grace has sent me sprawling on my pants
From helplessness to hopelessness.
That is to say that the criticism doesn’t hurt. It does.
Over the years I have learnt to rise above criticism.
I do not dwell on them and allow them dictate to me.

The irony of it all is its usefulness in giving me
The strength I never knew I had.
Criticism I’ve noticed has given me the much-needed support
In pursuing my vision, a sense of direction and belonging
And the credibility and the moral strength to continue
Along the path I’ve chosen. This is to love all.



Interpretation

Be sure you know who you are. Choose your life's path and career carefully so you will live a life of contentment instead of a life filled with regrets.

Engage in functions and hobbies that best suit your personality and please don't try to live the life of another person. That amounts to self-denial. Just be yourself and be strong for you will derive strength from your exceptionally explored talents.

Search your mind and you will arrive at the best for yourself. There are many opportunities in this world for you. get up and seek them out.

Remember always that there is a divine purpose for which you were created.