When Aunti Dana Made Her Last Run

Posted by layrite 67 views Dana Disaster Anthology Picks, Flight 9J-992 To Lagos, Poetry

Jun 172012

Don’t lament

Never forget

The blood unseen

And the cause unknown

Don’t lament

The parts in piece

And the dreams in rubble

(Where now will they find their peace?)

Never forget

The oblivious insiders

And the helpless sojourners

(Fate had no use for mood)

Don’t lament

The elephants that wouldn’t stand

And the cubs trampled to death

(Form and structure amounted to zilch)

Never forget

The seedlings orphaned at a whiff

And the spouses widowed in a sec

(Can’t they insure that too?)

Don’t lament

The lineage extinct

And the honey-moon eclipsed

(When will the reunion be?)

Never forget

Faces smile wouldn’t visit for a while

And those ambitions buried for life

(What will it take to undo that?)

Don’t lament

The pen never to be dipped in ink

And the mouth denied its orders

(Limitation is one sure thing)

Never forget

The town desecrated

And the people blackened

(Never again is a known lie)

Don’t lament

The tears men freely shed

And the sigh women unconsciously made

(Were those emotions misplaced?)

Never forget

The Sunday twice dammed

And the tragedy multiplied

(Evils only men could do)

Don’t lament

The bolt probably left untightened

And the signature bought with Guilder

(An answer neither there nor here.)

Never forget

The gravity dutifully obliged

And how fragile everything really is

That we know, that we ignore

And that we remembered

When Aunti Dana made her last run.

—

For Hammidah and other Nigerian children; may the rest of your childhood be devoid of tragedy.

Comments

comments

layrite @layrite

Knows that the road to perfection may be bumpy, and the journey to success and stardom difficult but the desire to become the very best, win all the available awards, and make all the monies will never wane. As my dad always says, there is always room for improvement. That I believe.

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