Adieu... Poem by Raimi Babatunde

(Dedicated to the couple who lost their lives during the gas explosion on Sunday 15th March,2020 at Abule Ado, Lagos - Nigeria)

From far away
We heard the loud bang
It sounded rapturous
But it was not to be
Louder than it all
Was your sun setting at noonday
A very black Sunday it was
As the smoke rented our airspace

The blast darkened your Sun
Hopes and dreams shattered
In an already hopeless nation
With less regard for human life
Is it really true you two are gone?
Is it really true Junior also returned?
How my glands are filled with tears...

The agony, the pleas for mercy
Chisom, God is with you always
Better in heaven, than this wicked world
The death that took a promising couple
When we hoped to welcome Junior
Who cursed this nation? Who?

Let us consult the Oracle
That we may make atonement
And cleanse our land of evil
We plead the blood over all
But when I looked into the skies
Your stars shone brightly
Because you transited as believers

Chi, my hands are weak
Why did God allow this, why?
When I close my eyes, I see you
Your unborn child...
I still see your dimple
And your hubby's carved nose
Now I am suffering from insomnia

Never again shall there be infant of days
Never again shall we be cut in our prime
But now that your sun already set at noonday
You three are already on board
For you, it is the final call
We are coming, not just yet
It is a debt we owe. Adieu!