Love Poem: We Heard the Ocean Speak
Muyideen Ayinla Avatar
Written by: Muyideen Ayinla

We Heard the Ocean Speak

I can go ahead and personify the ocean
As this pen has been granted the poetic license
To carve a soul from a still object-
And make the ocean take the form of man.

The soft sand shaking forth beneath our feet
The sweet salty smell of the ocean-
Caresses our nostril to the presence of nature
As we watch the image unfold-
Of such huge expanse of water with ships lacing its trails.

So the sun came right above the sky
Embracing us with his scorching arms
Sending waves of heat upon the earth-
As we scamper to find a shade to rest our legs.

So we watched the waves wash the sea up the sand
And watched as half naked men dive headlong into the sea
And there by the shore some set their dice to roll upon the sand.
Just you and me; we watched as the day sailed by
And beggars raised their hands for token-
And little unfortunate boys walked hungrily behind their mothers.

Together we heard it speak,
As it tells us of how beautiful life is,
And how tumultuous the world could be,
So we should expect it.
It speaks to us about the joy that abound
When two people confide in the other,
So we should embrace it.
It speaks to us of how marvelous God is;
So we should seek Him.

Let’s bury our worries in the sand of yesterday
As the ocean speaks to us-
Of men who have been lost in the wind of vain
And of people staggering effortlessly in chain.
Man is history; just a filament of a story.

We heard the ocean speak,
So beautiful and terrifying,
We heard it shriek.