Death Couldn’t You Wait? Poem by Mandla Sigwele

On the morning of 6th of December 2013 all homes in South Africa wept
It was the first morning we woke up without a legend
Without a hero and without a symbol of hope.

A man we all loved had gone to be with the elders in rest
We knew this day would come
But there was no amount of preparation to help us in this sad morning.

The greatest states man from the African soil.
Respected by the powerful, yet a friend to the weak
Did he go to magic school? No
But he had a Madiba magic that saw us win the 95 Rugby world cup and
the 96 African cup of nations.

As the world saw our pains and tears,
We lost another son Baby Jakes’s Matlala
A boxing legend of his era.

Death couldn’t you wait?
Where do you expect us to draw another drop of tear?
We still cry and mourn the loss on our grandfather and you take also our brother.
Death couldn’t you wait just a little longer that we mourn our grandfather?

Death did not wait.
He didn’t care about how much we were crying.
He took the little remains we had.

Now our comforters don’t know where to start nor end
Death couldn’t you have waited.

I know that one day death will die and we will live forever
Oh death you were defeated 2000 years ago on the cross
Our Lord Jesus showed us how we will defeat you.