Funeral Symphony (For Professor Dora Akunyili) Poem by Echezonachukwu Nduka

I
threnodies are no meals that i should have thrice a day,
for no one laughs on a day of tears.
we have stepped on thorns while wading through these paths.
the ikoro's cry and the iroko's fall confirm this day of departure.

II
my eyes have seen your light which now shines no more.
as your light goes home thus,
please, carry my tears with you.

III
like a fraudster, death has cheated us,
stealing our light in these dark times.
this voice that echoed near and far, revealing hidden truths;
now journeys to join celestial voices.
we shall hear them again as thunder,
and their blinks as lightening.
here i stand, shedding tears that tear my thoughts.
as you journey, please, carry my tears home.

IV
uncertainty has made love to me,
leaving me heavy with sorrows.
on the day of delivery, shall i give birth to death's antidote?
Dora, no death can dent your dignity.
no grave can hide your prowess.
my tears are towering testimonies;
please, carry my tears home.

V
when chalks hid in capsules as drugs,
you gave them as burnt offerings;
sacrifices for life and health.
although bullets sought your head,
they found their way to nowhere.
you won death, this i know.
even as you lie speechless, death is vanquished.
i shed tears for the lives you saved, not you.
but please, carry my tears home.