The Pains of Motherlessness

(a poem by Aare Tunde Dawood-Akerele) Sympathizing with every motherless child. The Pain of Motherlessness Is far beyond measure Especially for a green mind. Begins from the shock of announcement To illusion of preparing the corpse To agony of witnessing the interment Since Mama has gone Though no more weeping But mourning ceases not O maa see o! Since Mama has gone I've been searching for substitute But what an exercise in futility! What a mirage! The vacuum is beyond description There's limit to what wife can endure There's limit to what husband can tolerate Theres limit to what baba can do Only abiyamo tooto can play all the role. O maa see o! Since abiyamo has gone Who has the gut to confront my foes? No one dreams of me again And begins to take steps at dawn The pains of motherlessness Is far beyond description It's agonising, it's horrifying. Since Mama has gone. No one asked me for bread again No one sent me wraps of locust beans No free laps for my kids to play on Children are crying but No lullabies, no allegories No warm hands to cuddle my head No singing of lineage panegyrics The pain is much. All the graveyard promises Are nothing but hollow rituals The lacuna is unfillable There's only one abiyamo Searching for any other one Would be amounted a generational mirage. The pain seems unending. It's beyond description. To every motherless child A dead mother is like a stolen rapper Exposed to harmattan of life, Unblocked from mosquitoes of life No more cover, no more pillows No more care but just little affection The pains are enormous. Imagine a visit to the village Water offered by others Not as the one from her pot. Her room is now vacant Who will say good bye with prayers? Who will drop tears at parting? The pain is beyond measure. Not at home, leaving for a while No one to claim my right for me In her absence at the family meeting Portions of shares reduced to meagre Property unevenly distributed Blames were wrongly apportioned. The pain is much. Here comes a warning Oh! A motherless child Never dares having back wound Because it may not heal. Exercise cautions always, be prayerful As no one to tell the hard truth again No one to condemn the misdeeds No one to appreciate the good No one to tell fore warning Please, se jeje o! A caring mother A Shepherd to her child A good mother A stern cover to her breed A lovely mother A strong defence minister