A Tribute to Mother

Seventeen months ago, you travelled in a chariot of fire to "Neverland".

A distant land where angels chant joyous melodies,

A beautiful rustic world where the misty waterfalls cascade into the blue mountains and valleys of heaven,

A land where the sun never sets, 

A land where the stars shine on the galaxies beyond, 

A land where time is limitless,

A land where there are no shadows or vestiges of death.

A land where God dwells and his angels, and other celestial creatures,

A land where beautiful souls live in harmony.

Mother, if you ever meet Archangel Michael, the Guardian of Heaven,

Please tell him you named me after him.

And I'm still here on earth, holding the fort, keeping satan away from your children.

When the insidious bonds of the earth freed you from their sickening grip,

We wept and felt uprooted, our hearts sunken into a phantom place.

Solitude, grief and denial washed over us.

I still cry some days, remembering all the protective layers of love you built around us. 

You were an awesome mother!

I've since forgotten the taste of your sweet and sour meatballs,

The sun-dried tilapia fish cooked with peanut sauce and served with millet bread,

The slow-cooked sweet plantain, and the crunchy, fried hot chicken.

I miss your warm smile every weekend.

No one replies to the door when I knock.

It is like you were never here.

Mother, no one stokes the fire in your kitchen.

The copper and brass cookware hung up,

Waiting for the return of your soft and nurturing hands!

I still smell those spices and flavourful herbs.

Every day, I pretend to ring your little brass bell in the kitchen to bring everyone to your sumptuous dinners.

Am l dreaming? Who will hear my stories at dinner time?

I always shudder in the morning breeze, feeling exhausted and haggard.

Every evening, I dream of you, hoping to see you one more time in the morning, only to grasp empty spaces.

I try to smile, but it's a desperate situation, The joy of my life has gone too early.

Every day, your grandchildren ask us where you have travelled.

They do not remember seeing your white casket being lowered into the thirsty ground.

I hide behind those emerald velvet drapes you loved so much,

And I weep silently, praying for your safe passage until we meet again!

Hush-hush Mother! Get some rest now! 

Your earthly roof has not leaked since you travelled away!

We're now keeping an eye on your legacy.