I wrote this poem in memory of a dear friend, Austin Bhebe, who died in Nairobi, Kenya on November 5th, 2016, and was put to rest in Kabwe on Saturday, November 12th, 2016.
From the east, the
sun rose, bright and clear,
Saluting my world
with its gleaming heat,
A yellow ball that
should have rolled out its cheer,
But alas, sent
forth a solemn song that was offbeat.
A peal of thunder
that conquered the night,
And subdued the
morning with overwhelming sorrow,
Casting into gloom
the promise of the daylight,
And reminding us
of that which we cannot forever borrow.
Over the towering Kilimajaro,
the sad news soared high,
Descending into
Lusaka with shattering force,
My heart, with
grief oppressed, could only in pain sigh,
As to God I turned
for strength, yea, to my only recourse.
My chest swelled
and heaved with throbbing distress,
Oh, what rivulets
of tears rolled down my face!
My tongue stuck to
the roof of my mouths in silence,
Deeply mourning a
dear friend removed from our space.
In death a dear
friend, and companion lies,
The sweet rhythm
and melody of life muted,
Leaving painful
memories and sorrows’ loud cries,
As the once green
and tranquil garden is suddenly uprooted.
Austin, O Austin!
No more shall I see you here below,
You leave an
aching void and floods of pain,
That freeze the
heart with the solid coldness of snow,
And refuses to
melt in the torrents of the rain.
Yes, though smitten
sore by His divine hand,
My broken heart still
shall praise Him who gives life,
For He never
leaves the soul of His own in the wasteland,
But rescues and
delivers it from earthly strife.
Austin, though the
curtain has been drawn upon your mortal being,
You shall awake at
morn, more heavenly, more refined;
To begin a new
existence which knows no fading,
Elevated from the
snares of sin, and by grace purified.
-->
© November, 2016
0 comments:
Post a Comment