A Letter To Dear Emily Poem by Job Ombati

Dear Emily,
Adversity is a pill—
bitter,
huge,
coarse,
and
cumbersome
for easy swallowing.

Dear friends,
partakers of sweet sorrow,
bearers of bad news,
co-wives of adversity,
brave widows,
please help pass my epistle.
Tell dear Emily
to eat her sorrow bravely-
grind it,
slow and fine.
Let her put on
a brave face
and drown it
with the fine brew
of loneliness.

Dear brothers,
uncles of fear,
fathers of motherless children,
please help pass this letter.
Tell Emily
to cry a little
but get up tomorrow
to comfort her mother-in-law
and children.

Let her dry her tears,
apply Nivea
to her face
and
learn to smile again.
Let her take her hoe
and get down to till her shamba.

Dear widowers,
brave sojourners
and tourists
of this life,
please deliver this letter.
Tell Emily
to dispose of
the suits he loved-
his ties and shoes.
Tell her to keep one-
a souvenir from life's travels.

Please ask dear Emily
to gather her children close.
Please remind her
to move on.

© Poems for Humanity
[Saturday,20 June 2026; 9: 53 p.m. - Nairobi]```