bbc poetry corner

A child's prayer

Every time a child cries a flower opens, startling everybody with its vivid happy colours, and where this flower opens is in a place that you can only visit in your dreams.

The days were painted black as night and the people spent their days in sadness, reminiscing and listening to old legends - where once lives had been spent in the sun, laughing, singing and dancing. Now these distant joys were long past leaving only misery, gloom and the sound of tears.

Through my dreams I walked from land to land, learning and seeing things of which I had never known before. I walked into a field bright with flowers dancing, yet I could sense the gloom surrounding me and looking to the sky I could see a deep black cloak covering the sun and even as I stood there the flowers around me began to wilt and die. Their place taken with nettles cold, sharp and green ever hurtful with their sting. I shivered with the coldness such as I had never known or seen before. I left this cold place. I walked and walked unsure of my destination until at last I found a small village tucked away between two tall mountains. I walked through the village and the sounds of children crying reached my ears. Walking, walking until I came to a house standing at the farthest edge of the village. Standing there in bleak misery.

I climbed the stone steps to the door and knocked three times upon it. I waited until a small boy opened the door, his cheeks stained with the trails of tears shed. He bade me to enter. In my dreams I saw his tears falling. As I entered into the house I made my way into a room where an old woman was sitting by such a paltry fire that gave little or no warmth to the dank surroundings. She was telling stories to herself about the days when they had known life to be filled with sun, and tears were not something they had ever known. I went over to her and told her of what I had seen. I took her old knarled hands into mine and helped her to rise from her chair. We walked over to the window and she showed me where behind the mountains the sun shone on another land.

"Once our land was filled with happiness and joy. Days full of sunshine and colour. Now the curse of Kole haunts us with darkness so that we shall never know again such days as those" Her voice was full of sadness.

"Why don't you leave?" I asked

"We cannot leave my child" she smiled "for we do not know the answer to a child's prayer."

Through my dreams I left that house and land and began my walk beyond the mountains. I journeyed to that land of hopefulness bathed in sunlight, and as I entered I heard the sounds of birds singing and everywhere I looked a flower had begun to grow. I bent and picked a flower the colour of silver and gold and holding it to my nose breathed in the fragrance so sweet. Suddenly I heard the musical sound of children's voices, and turning I saw them running across the fields, laughing, dancing in the sun. When they saw me they asked me to join in their games.

For many days and nights I dreamt we played, laughing with the sheer joy they presented to me. I asked them why the sun shone there and turning they said to me

"Because we know the answer to a child's prayer"

Then one day the sound of thunder rent through the summer air and one by one the children disappeared so that I was left perplexed. I raised my head to find a man standing in front of me. He was dressed entirely in black with the only colour being a bright blue band around his head. In my dreams I instinctively knew this man was Kole. I looked at him and asked

"Do you know the answer to a child's prayer?"

He did not answer but pointed to a far off cloud riding high above a tower made of flowers.

I left Kole standing there and walked toward that tower of flowers. As I approached it I could see a door open wide and standing in the doorway a child who beckoned for me to enter. Holding my hand he led me into a room filled with a myriad of colours and the sweetest fragrances of every child's delight. Through every room this smiling child led me and in every room I saw the answer to a child's prayer. Softly, softly I spoke

"The answer to every child's prayer is that there should be a flower born of love, hope and joy."

I left that tower and the child and with lightness in my heart wandered back to that village between the two tall mountains where now it bathed in the sight of sun, and where every child had his song to sing.

"The answer to a child's prayer is that there should be a flower born of love and hope and joy"

Everywhere I walked a flower began to grow. A flower for every tear that a child has ever shed.

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