King Of the Clouds

Like his grandma’s broom,
His head hairs stood straight;
At attention!
His sunken-eyed face fitted hideously
In a large, shapeless ball.
Hunger made his skin thin,
Flaunting an eerie web, just bellow his monstrous jaw.
His palms were blacker than his
Charcoal-colored teeth.

During this boy’s nap-time,
When the day wasted away,
And the sun shone brightest.
History, reality and folklore jammed in his head,
They conjured his sincerest desire,
Just as he slipped into the swirling perfection of
Death’s Cousin.

In his head was a world.
Just as found in grandma’s stories.
He saw the old bald Eagle and Mr Tortoise
And a host of many other great birds in feast.
He saw all this from far below
And said “I should be there”;
From that moment on, he sought for a way,
Failing woefully all the way.
But the aroma of heaven’s feast
Pinched mercilessly at his nose.
This boy wasn’t about to give up.

The old Eagle saw this boy,
His plight and his emaciated frame.
In a great flight it thundered down,
Scooping the boy up, hurling him into the clouds.
He heard his grandma call, he looked down and saw her
displaying her gum.
His success made her happy,
feasting in the clouds wasn't child’s play.

He sat with wise Tortoise and
The mighty falcons, and
The scary owls and the humble doves.
The food was magical,
For as he ate,
His skin grew fatter,
And his sunken face gained flesh.

Times and times, seasons after seasons he feasted;
The old bald Eagle died- willing his kingdom to the boy.
Soon, the boy became King Of The Clouds, with a lovely crown on his head, and a silvery scepter in his hand.
When heaven became too full with food,
He caused them to rain on the earth.
The people sang praise, chanting his name.

By the way, it was all a dream, remember?
The boy woke up very hungry,
He stirred violently on the bed
Hoping to get back to his dream, to being the King.
His grandma entered the hut:
“Effiong get up.” she commanded,
“The old bald Eagle is looking for you”
He stared, fixated, heart racing, crippled with excitement, a dream come true!
Too bad!
It’s a dream yet again.