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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

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