CATCH ME NOW: THE CRY OF AN INNOCENT CHILD

By Emmanuel Uduak-Obong Esther 

In the hands of the cold evening breeze,

I paddle my thoughts like a sailor

caught in an innocent storm,

searching for a place to lay his head and rest.

The sky stretches as far

as a journey to the great beyond.

Who can measure such heights

and still find his feet on the ground

above the endless waters?

The seed you sow today

will make you laugh or cry tomorrow.

Nurture it well,

lest it grow into a fruitless tree

with many roots of shame.

Cast your nets like Peter,

catch the fish while there is still time,

lest it becomes too late

and Jesus finds no reason to step into your boat,

even when it sits quietly by the riverbank.

Catch me now,

before the dawn of another day,

before the cock crows to announce its arrival

and the sun rises without apology.

Teach me the right way to fly

while my wings are still feeble, flexible, and impressionable,

lest I stray and become prey

in the hands of the enemy

and a burden to you.

The way is slippery.

Correct me now,

before I am swallowed by the crowd in my youth,

only to be found

when doom comes knocking

at the door of old age.

Train me in the way I should go,

so that when I am old, I will not depart from it.

Or would it please you

to see me become like Hophni and Phinehas?

Catch me now.

Hold me now.

Before I become a garment of shame

to you and to the world.

I will only make you proud tomorrow

if you CATCH ME NOW.