Shades of Ochre

If you ask him where he’s been
He’ll say around,
It takes too many words
To say what he’s done and seen

He’s been to heaven
He’s been to hell
But he had to die first
Before he learnt to live

If you ask him what he’s seen
His stories abound
He gambled against the odds
Still winning and still so keen

But he’s been to heaven
He’s been through hell
See, he had to die first
Before he learnt to live

A long road travelled since eighteen
All his life like a lusty hound
He’s been fighting the gods
Still he is betting to win

He’s been to heaven
He’s been to hell
But he had to die first
Before he learnt to live.

*****

There’ll be spam in your email

The day after you die

Maybe smoke from naked fires will rise

And foam from shaken bottles froth

Some will pray and even dance.

And some will try to speak for god

Some things we doubt but of this I am certain

We are all naked underneath it all

Trying to live before we leave

Because you did not die if nobody grieves

Sometimes you find love. Or just warmth.

Or hushed secrets beneath the sheets

A little light, a little shade

All the earth is a shade of Ochre

____________

Martins lives in Lagos. He is currently working towards publishing his first collection of short stories. In a previous life, he wrote an unpublished romantic novel.