Poems by A.T. Alabi

I'd be happy, only if...
Our often deceptive belief -

If I were a superstar,
Or rode a brand new car;

If I had a better house,
Or a more understanding spouse;

If I flew a private jet,
Or could get my dream pet;

If I had a lovelier face,
Or lived in a riveting place;

If I had a better friend,
Or could get more to spend...

Young or old or rich or poor,
Who doesn't want one thing more?

Joy thrives in no place apart,
From the kind and grateful heart.

Ever gotten there?
To that place where
You have nothing to prove
and can just be.
Nothing to hide
and all can see.
Nothing to lose
and so you can breathe.
Right in that place where
you know you're free.

When your mind is set
On a splendid thing you want to do,
There are some who will shrug,
Like you don't have a clue.

When you proceed,
Some will say it can't be done
And that there is really no need
For you to take it on.

And halfway through,
Some may deem your progress small,
Or others will ask if what you're doing
Is even worthwhile at all.

But when you succeed,
Then with flattering tongue,
The same folks will say they knew
That you'd do it all along.

Now, folks may mean well
When they say it can't be done,
But then who is to lose
If they are actually wrong?

But if you take note of why
Some doubt your point of view
And stick close to those
Who see the strength in you,

If you put your faith in God,
No matter how tough it may seem,
If you work hard, if you believe,
You will achieve your dream.

For what others think,
Whether or not you're strong or smart,
Sometimes, doesn't really count
As what you believe in your heart.

Fueling your faith
In what you've got within...
In your God-given gift,
It's a wonderful thing.

It will fuel your drive
To pursue a worthwhile goal,
To reach for the sky
With all of your soul.

It ignites the will
In you to spread your wings,
To give things a try,
See what the future brings.

It will feed your grit,
To renew efforts denied.
To get up after a fall,
To take a hitch in stride.

It will aid your poise
Once you start to rise up high
And ride upon the clouds
When you begin to fly.

It's a beautiful thing,
With rewards so great,
When you quell your doubts
And you fuel your faith.

It's sometimes easy to think
We have nothing to give;
Yet we often have more to offer
Than we tend to believe.

We can give a smile
To those we meet on our way;
It could warm their hearts
And brighten their day.

We can give a pat,
A gentle squeeze, a simple touch.
If offered in the nick of time
Sometimes can mean so much.

We can give a second chance,
For that willingness to forgive
Others for their seeming lapses,
Is a blessed thing to give.

We can lend a listening hear
To someone who seems distraught;
For the comfort it often affords,
Money sometimes cannot.

We can offer kind words;
"Thank you," "Love you," "Well done,"
Are sometimes all we have to say
To be a blessing to someone.

It's true, money is important.
So many needs it can relieve;
Still we can look beyond the purse
And find priceless things to give.

Get annoyed with someone
And explode in fury
But later after calming down
You'd look back
On the huffing and the puffing
And the ranting
And the chanting,
Only to wonder,
What was I thinking?

Get smitten with someone
And lose all sense of judgement
But when their true colour emerges
You'd look back
On the pleasing and the teasing
And the needing
And the pleading,
Only to wonder,
What was I thinking?

Get let down on an expectation
And end up frustrated
But later when things work out
You'd look back
On the fretting and the sweating
And the scurrying
And the worrying,
Only to wonder,
What was I thinking?

But if in the heat of the moment
We can pray for the grace
To maintain a clear head
And a quiet heart
To control the thrilling or feeling
Or the raving
Or the craving.
Later, we won't have to wonder,
"What was I thinking?"

Life can seem an endless maze,
The twists and turns, lulls and delays,
But things always fall into place...
In good time.

Friends will sometimes go away.
Some may disappoint or others betray,
But new ones will come to stay...
In good time.

The hurt of getting something wrong,
And the lesson it often brings along
Are there, you see, to make you strong...
In good time.

Kindness freely given away,
Unnoticed now, will somehow find its way
Back to you and come to stay...
In good time.

Efforts seem not to pay to plan?
Forge on friend, doing the best you can.
Fortune will find the deserving man...
In good time.

Life can be tough, there's no doubt,
But hope is the thing we can't do without.
Right things with joy will come about...
In good time.