on the line millennium poem

The Awakening Age, by Ben Okri

O ye who travel the meridian line,
May the vision of a new world within you shine.

May eyes that have lived with poverty's rage,
See through to the glory of the awakening age.

For we are all richly linked in hope,
Woven in history, like a mountain rope.

Together we can ascend to a new height,
Guided by our heart's clearest light.

When perceptions are changed there's much to gain,
A flowering of truth instead of pain.

There's more to a people than their poverty;
There's their work, wisdom, and creativity.

Along the line may our lives rhyme,
To make a loving harvest of space and time.

Copyright Ben Okri, 1999

Inspired by On the Line, Ben Okri, the Booker Prize-winning author, wrote this poem. "The meridian line links cultures and communities without division and I was inspired by the idea," says Ben. "It's a way in which we can use time to link cultures, showing their different views, but at the same time showing the equalising, enriching similarities between people. I fell in love with it, and the words started to form in my head."

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