Author: Edilson Afonso Ferreira

On Speaking of Journeys

/ Edilson Afonso Ferreira / Leave a comment

I am aware I am part of a great brotherhood,

the brotherhood of the human race.

I know many of us do not consider ourselves brothers,

and also know they make a point of showing this.  

It seems such people think they created themselves

on their own, and are separate beings, not having

to report to anything or anyone.

By chance of fate, or by the route they have taken,

they missed appropriate parents and teachers  

for their upbringing, or, even worse, if they had,

were neither heard nor recognized.

I believe God attributes different gifts to each one,

and uses us to fulfill the common mission, that is

to live and let live, loving and respecting everyone,

as an indivisible group.

Unfortunately, some lack the right conscience, those

who are in fact disciples of evil, that permeates us.

But they are also in the Creator’s Plan, and,

when a strong cry for justice arises, they are used,

by firm divine mandate, as legitimate Avengers.

Lord of justice, God knows and sees everything,

and, in truth, sometimes, does not shy away from

forgiveness and kindness.  

We must believe we are part of a greater plan,

and need to show our best on this journey,

the return to the sixth day of that Saint Week  

of the Divine Creation.

This poem and all others at this blog, authored by Edilson Afonso Ferreira ©

Hidden in the Folds of Time

/ Edilson Afonso Ferreira / Leave a comment

Suddenly, on any given day, walking up the sidewalks

   became more difficult, it seemed they were higher;

the noise of children and teenagers became louder,

   it started to bother you; 

your children have passed the line of youth

   and you see them as middle-aged people,

   almost elderly;

that book or movie everyone recommended to you,

   and after fifteen minutes of reading or watching it,

   you get bored because you have already guessed

   the ending it is proposing;

you have become different, more reserved, quieter,

   looking suspiciously at everyone around you,

   even old friends;

also, that young and beautiful woman,

   you never fail to notice and you see

   with eyes of rapture and admiration,

   even desire, and she withdraws

   and does not reciprocate;

then you ask yourself – do people think I have stopped

   loving what is beautiful in this world?

despite everything, you maintain your vigor and fullness,

   which they seem to ignore, so you have to learn to live

   with a new status that has been granted to you;

allowing them not to know or suspect that your youth was

   much happier than theirs, and that they will never have  

   one like it, because time and the wind took it away,

   and it is hidden, forever and ever. 

Published in The Wise Owl, May 2025 issue.

http://www.thewiseowl.art

This poem and all others at this blog, authored by Edilson Afonso Ferreira ©

Thirst for Justice

/ Edilson Afonso Ferreira / 2 Comments

Do not be afraid to judge the wicked, the dishonest,

and the criminal, mainly those who dress himself

in sheep’s clothing, dissemble and confront us daily,

without shame or remorse.

Have the courage to unmask them, for your good

and that of your fellow ones.

Become a Witness, Prosecutor, and Judge,

meet as a Jury with yourself, do not give a voice

to any defense, and, with pure and proud a heart,

that of a righteous man, proclaim him guilty.

Leave the execution of the sentence to the Creator,

who, we know, sees and hears everything.

To Him belongs divine mercy and forgiveness,

both for the one you condemned and for you,

who, filled with greatness, but sad and unhappy,  

acted to bring justice, seeing the weakness of good

and the pride of evil.

This poem and all others at this blog, authored by Edilson Afonso Ferreira ©

Walks

/ Edilson Afonso Ferreira / Leave a comment

I have always lived with my brothers of race,

every day, night, month, and seasons of the year,

with words, hugs, slaps, and kisses.

The diversity I have encountered has been so great,

in true, among them, I have improved my qualities,

but, with some, have needed to sharpen my claws,

sometimes necessary in self-defense, threatening

and dangerous as they have become.

I have wet the road with tears and sweat,

have always looked to the horizon with joy

and fearlessness, sometimes with doubt and distrust.

I have fought the good fight, and, coherent to the human

that lives within me, have reaped victories and defeats,

without rancor or hatred, have lived and let live.

May this walk be a preview of a future one,

that lies before me,

which faces me as an incognito.

However, the greatest of all incognito is what

we are living with since we are born into this world,

to which, as far as I know, have had no warning

or prior preparation, even any consent.

We are, in truth, nothing more than a tribe or nation,

launched into the adventure of a universe under construction,

not more than a part, nor even its main one.  

This poem and all others at this blog, authored by Edilson Afonso Ferreira ©

Return to the Origins

/ Edilson Afonso Ferreira / Leave a comment

You know, or, at least, you should know,

that we are all related,

without any exception.

On that sixth day of the week of Divine Creation,

in a land named Paradise, we were all made

by the same mold, same measurements, same shape.   

Man was created in the first stage, and after,

like a bonus, God gave birth to the woman,

companion, lover, wife, and mother,  

the first joint venture, never before

even imagined or dreamed.

Then, we have become equal to our Lord,

and have, for countless years, given life and breath

to our families, beloved sons and daughters.

Equaled by race and common parentage, may we struggle

to honor what had been granted to us, raising our genesis

with so great a love, which will lead us, without any delay,

to that Holy Land, by history and right, our first home.

(Published in West Ward Quarterly, Summer 2025 printed issue)

This poem and all others at this blog, authored by Edilson Afonso Ferreira ©

Strange Duality

/ Edilson Afonso Ferreira / 2 Comments

We come into this world without any major options,

chained, since birth, or rather, since our conception,

to the inheritance brought, in fact, imposed, by our ancestors,

those of our family, in addition to those of the larger family,

the entire humanity to which we belong.

Qualities and defects, virtues and vices, they arrive 

combined in the genes of the new being, and, stealthy,  

they wait to manifest themselves in due time.

Our parents, in the joy and happiness of creating a new life,

are not aware of the dangers that lie on standby;

we know they will do everything to separate the wheat

from the chaff, in the future life that is beginning,

a game whose success, unfortunately, we cannot predict.

Our struggle to build a personality, despite such inheritance,

is arduous and relentless, and none of us can escape it,

we have to polish and perfect this new being and pass it on 

to a future generation, much better than we had received.

Let us strive not to fall into banality, but to play the right game.

May the improvement and purity we acquire not be that

of the physical body, which corrupts and decays, but of the spirit,

which, free and sovereign, under the right and reckless command,

has no limit and never ends. 

This poem and all others at this blog, authored by Edilson Afonso Ferreira ©