Poem: Should I, Should I Not

When the cool breeze whispers,
And the coconut boughs bows,
The sun rays streaking mourning mist,
Should I sing for love
Or
Should I not
Least the feeling ebb away
Quietly like
Fresh dew on morning grass


Should I,
Sing when your head lifts in lilt of laughter,
With echoes strumming chords in me heart
In muffled music of suppressed love
Or
Should I not
And let the chords rasp on
Like a kicking antelope
From a lion’s grip.

Should i
When the breeze strikes the sea
And to the shore the waves harkens
With giggle as they lap the sand
Then my heart will go on…
For
Should I not
Love will smite me.

Manuel Odeny