* Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke

As painful as death could be

It cannot be as strong as love

Yes people say ‘Onwu-di-ike’ – Death is strong

Yet it cannot be stronger than love

For it is the force of love that makes death appear strong

Without the bond of love,

Death can only produce a fleeting attention

Without the strength of love,

Death would have nothing to gloat about

I have had moments to ponder about death

Of the deeper sense that it makes

Of why I should miss this person or that person

Of why I need to drop a tear

In those moments of ponder and quietude

I have experienced mixed feelings

The pain at the feebleness of our humanity

The cringe at the voice of a dying loved one in a last telephone call

Trust me, you don’t want to get that

I hardly forget the words, nor the sounds, nor the feelings

These are moments when I am torn apart, yet compelled to offer hope

You don’t want to know!

Some of those quiet moments are sometimes filled with smiles

Did I say, ‘smiles’?

Yeah, I smile at fond memories of love and joy shared with loved ones

Of the clap-back jokes I had with my dad, ‘Yasco’!

Of how my cousin Adanma calls me ‘Ike-bobo’ with that unforgettable smile

Of the excitement of ‘Mukete’ when he couldn’t decipher if it were my voice or not

Of Nnennia telling me of her dreams of the future

Of how my grandma bribed me into stopping to suck my finger

Of how I would sit at the feet of uncle Martin, like Paul at the feet of Gamaliel

Of how we would be shouting ‘Mma Chike’ while rushing down the stairs

Of how aunty Theré would hug me tight in absolute joy just like Mama nnukwu does

Death might be strong but love remains stronger

And so if we are bound in love, we remain bound in death

Cos it is only love that can cross over to death and get back to life.

Cheers to an everlasting, painless and joyful life for all my loved ones.

Aunty Theré is the latest!