Don’t be quick at knotting a tie without a mirror;
can’t be clever enough to see the neck.
My wife tells me how fresh my face looks
though the mirror shows folds and furrows
of joys and sorrows in the tropic sun.
A woman sees the face that made a vow—
blurs out other dirts but the gladdening love lines
years behind—always fresh and fair.
That’s their May; why they hold the home!
Take away that tender hold, home hobbles.
I was glad when my daughter came; I knew
peace was mine from dawn to dusk.
Celestine S. Ikwuamaesi
14 April, 2020
Echoes Of Heaven 