GOLDEN

So my dear friend Janet suggested I post this poem because she liked the change of mood from restless, angry and resentful to quiet and thoughtful. What a great way to bring me back to my blog on a regular basis. All through the winter I have been writing poetry. The spirit of poetry must be growing more intense because I have had a request from Guadeamus Children's choir in George Town to perhaps use some of my poetry in their show. More on that if it happens. Then yesterday, I spoke to one of the doyens of Ghanaian poetry (quite by chance on Skype), Prof. Atukwei Okai. We discussed his poem Rhododendrons. I tell you, poetry is in the air. Enjoy.

Golden

Silence is not always golden

Sometimes it’s tight and airless

Like shrink-wrap

Stifling life

Silence is not always golden

Sometimes it’s sluggish and dull

Like sludge

Passively aggressive

Silence is not always golden

Sometimes it’s hollow and empty

Like hunger

Filled with cowardice

Silence is not always golden

Sometimes it’s murky and vengeful

Like bile

Plotting murder

But

Silence can be golden

Giving room for faith and hope

In choosing silence, go for gold:

Temperate, patient and forgiving

If your silence holds no gold

Then find the golden in your words

Express your truth, communicate

Find solutions; live life well.