if only the moon would stop

tussling with the sun for the lordship

of the day, then it would realise that it was

designed to govern the starry darkness of the night

 

if only the cactus would hold back its

envy for the bloom of the garden rose,

then it would decipher the hidden fact

that it was made to bask in the hot arid

 

if only the dew would stop comparing itself

with the intemperate fall of heaven’s rain,

then it would know that it was forged

to soften the wearied face of earth,

as she wakes up from the depths

of her auroral somnolence

 

if only the inchoate seeds

would cast aside their hatred

for the gallantry of grown houseplants

then they shall surely know the basic truth:-

which remarks boldly, that everything

wanted or craved or desired,

takes the test of time!.

 

• Pat Ashinze, 2017

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