One Life That Never Was. Poem by Nyagaka Charles

I never met her;
For once I thought nature’s balance was just being attained;
Coming through the gate, he rose from his seat,
A tall figure, aging bent his back;
But the weight of the loss brought him down the more;
The blood veins of his eyes had burst in sorrow
Paths of scourge ran down his cheeks
His hand visibly shook at the sight of her face
Our eyes shied from his otherwise unsearching face
His lips parted letting go a trembling, “Hi? ”
The ultimate sound of a crushed spirit
We took our place in the minute dumb crowd
Hymns of comfort brought mare pain
Words of consolation brought up the bitter confirmation
The evening breeze brought a reassuring faith
The chippering birds…”There’s hope, for tomorrow”
With even a more crushed spirit he bid us go
His wife’s teeth held to her frozen tongue
Her heart bleeding with tears of pain and hurt
The unfolding scenes melted my heart
Felt like it was my own sister
Yeah, one life it was
Plus several other hearts as well
Torn and shredded however strong
Burning tears, drowning sorrows, piercing pains
Yeah, another one life
Nature’s balance it is indeed.