I Was Here: A Joyful Contemplation of Death

When the bridge between my eyes lose their nares
When the trapped air float out of my sinuses
When darkness announces the end of my daylight
Only to herald the endless night of my days
When time loses its grip on my life’s rhythm
And I take that long journey swallowed up by mystery
When eternity consumes my ephemeral dreams
And I exit this cocoon of limited realities

I want my name to be on the lips of many
That I was here
That I lived a noble life
That I loved; and not hated
That I tried: and even failed
That I stirred a wave of mirth in a sorrowful heart
That I touched a soul; laden with pain

Let others know that I was here for good
That I sired hope in a despaired heart
That I siphoned others’ tears into my heart
That I cried and wailed for others in their misery
That I waved a flag in their triumphs and joys
That I dreamt and lived; not for my dreams alone
That I carried a burden; not mine to bear

When my lips lock in an inseparable grip
When the mobility of teeth grind to a halt
When my eyelids refuse to blink or stare
When words cease and my tongue calcify like fossils
When thoughts are banished eternally from my brain

I want my name to be on another’s lips
That I loved God from the depths of my being
That I longed for him with a cry of desperation
That I loved you, him, her, they, them, and theirs
That I was not consumed by me, and its monomania
That I had been here; and not just a passerby
That I lived; and still live inside the head and heart of others!
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©Felix Abrahams Obi