FAREWELL TO MY LOVELY NIECE

I lost a niece last night

Her name was Fri Ndango

She went peacefully in a coma

Which had held here down

For about two weeks

The news was broken to me by SMS

By my elder man, Brother Tah Asongwed

His text said: “She looked very serene.

No tear should be shed

Because she had suffered too much”.

I agree, because I saw her suffer thus

She was on and off for weeks, months

When I stood by her hospital bed over a week ago

And placed my hand on her

She was already unconscious

She breathed through tubes and was in Reanimation

With my eldest Sister, Ma Magdalene, by my side.

I touched her and spoke to her:

“My daughter, I have come this way to see you

But I`ll soon be going back

As I do so, I ask you for only one thing

If you can hear me as I know you do

Let the news reach me that after I left

You got up and walked.”

But as it turned out, she never did

Even so, who am I to judge?

Perhaps as I spoke to her one way

God; her God; my God; your God

The Almighty in his infinite wisdom

Also spoke to her,

Pointing her in the opposite direction

It wasn`t a tug of war between us

Neither was it a race.

It couldn`t have been.

No way!

Today, my lovely daughter`s gone

Although she`s still in the mortuary as I speak

We`ll soon lay her to rest her

 With all the honours she is due.

Of all the daughters in the family

She was the one who physically

Resembled our eldest sister the most

That is one thing that marked me the most.

But then as it is said that

God draws straight lines in a crooked way

Although Fri goes, she also leaves behind

A daughter who resembles her as much

The one I always called her “Carbon Copy”.

So henceforth this is what will happen

When I look at my sister and think of Fri`s vacuum

I will look at her Carbon Copy and feel comforted.

Even so, the pain will still be there

For I am human

If not, what on earth is going to replace

That ever-present smile

And cheering attitude Fri had

Always, all the time?

That is why I say in all things

Let`s give glory to the Almighty

The Alpha and the Omega

He knows best

We loved Fri

But he loved her more.