Poetry: Oluwadamilola Agboola | A Note To Sad Melody

Gentle as a dove
A dove now, you’ve come to be
Burning with such love
Like a Dad, you were to me
I tried to learn the sign language
So we can share stories in the village
But time has its way of running out
Bright as a candle, you have died out
It hurts! Pain yanks at my heart strings
An eerie dirge, my heart sings
The tears won’t stop falling
And my head is pounding
The flowers in your garden,
They don’t need tending ’cause you did it
Before death tore your door down
Maybe it’s not a tragedy like I see it
God always knows just what he’s doing
A candle
Bright and burning
Living the life of a candle
Lighting up all others around it
If you had stayed a day more
You would have lit up the entire world
Survivor! Death hasn’t won this one
A thousand candles yet burns
Because you lit them up
Keen, observant
Sometimes being the servant
Making sure that all is radiant
Down to the young and ignorant
Father and daughter
Not the affirmation in papers
But flesh and blood beyond the physical
I remembered you in my prayers
My heart sent a thousand words to God
I didn’t want your light to die out
It wasn’t fair. You started a light fare
The peace lover
A pace setter indeed you are
Because you live in our hearts
Until a day and forever
Nothing’s ever hit so close
My heart is wrenching in a choke hold
There wasn’t a plan
But this wasn’t the plan
Head of our clan
This tragedy in our land
One more favour for us all
Talk to God about grandma
Pacemaker! Remember to beat in her chest
She’s lost a husband and a mother
A child like you is more than two together
Tell grandpa I miss his math problems
These pages won’t contain
The gazillion words that remain
A star as big as you may clog the sky
But we don’t mind
You’ll be the reason we lift up our faces
Just like always and in all ways
Too little too late, but I love you always

© Oluwadamilola Agboola