A MOTHER’S GRAVE

 Written By Melani Onowu

A MOTHER’S GRAVE

“Uchechukwu don’t make me shout”

“Uchechukwu, don’t make me cry”

“Uchechukwu, I don’t like that girl, stay away from her”

“Uchechukwu, stop acting like a boy, you will kill me oo”

“Uchechukwu, I did not kill my mother so you will not kill me”

That was the sound or should I say the shout of my mother

Uchechukwu and her siblings were her biggest concern in life

What we would eat, what we would wear, the schools we would attend

Nothing but the best for her children

We just had to say it and it was done

No matter how expensive it was

Anything to make us smile.

People say I am her lookalike

I could even be called her doppelganger

Thirty year apart in age

Yet a billion years apart in mindset

People say Uchechukwu is a spoilt brat

“She can’t even cook”

“She acts like a guy”

“She thinks like a man”

“Has a lot of big dreams and aspirations”

“She doesn’t even know she’s a lady”

“She’s such a feminist”

Well what can I say?

Blame it on her mother

Or rather applaud her mother for it

Because it takes a goddess to raise an angel

And mum was a goddess

Praises and applauds

Thanks and ovations

Yes she was an angel

But even angels have scars

I guess her scars were so deep 

She just had to leave

Some would say God ordained to be so

I have no objections

I can only say “such is life”

We never got the chance to say goodbye

Couldn’t even believe she was gone until it was time to stand by the graveside

Couldn’t even write a tribute to honour her memory

Couldn’t even apologize for the pains I caused

And for the countless times I cursed

So when next you see me skip a mothers' day celebration

Or skip a “drop a heart for your mother” post

It’s not cause I’m heartless

It’s just that we’ve buried the pain but the scars are ever fresh

We might make jokes and act like we don’t care

But deep down it hurts to loose a mum

Please reserve your sorrys and RIPs for someone who knows how to respond to them.

Standing by the Graveside, 

I realize it’s a lonely place to be

Cold even in the hottest weather

Yet bodies are sacked underneath it

And each grave has a story to tell

If only you can listen intensely

#TalesFromTheGraveside

#AMothersGrave