Lamentation of the Widower
Oluseyi Ogunbanwo@oluseyiogunbanwo018093
5 hours ago
*Lamentation of the Widower*
Left at the brink of birthing our child,
You slipped beyond my trembling reach,
Leaving a heart withdrawn and wild,
Untouched by lullabies it longs to teach.
How could the Most High loose grim death
To stalk the earth in ruthless rage?
Why must love surrender breath
And leave the world a broken stage?
Point me to death’s dark hideaway—
Its secret den, its lurking place—
And I would rise without delay
To chain its boast and scorch its face.
Yet thee I mourn till sight restore
Beyond the heavens’ promised feast;
For every wound but proves the more
That absence turns all joy to beast.
Thou wert the succour of our home,
The steady lamp through storm and night;
The gentle voice that calmed each groan,
The pivot round which spun our light.
O that we might begin anew—
Where laughter danced without refrain,
Where through the winds thy music flew
And stilled my restless heart of pain.
But all is hushed in ashen gloom;
Desire ascends where thou hast gone.
This world, once clothed in budding bloom,
Now stands in tattered sorrow drawn.
“Remarry,” say they, swift and loud,
As though the heart were lightly healed;
Yet none will linger in the cloud
Where grief and silent burdens build.
They know not that the widower weeps,
Nor feel the weight his shoulders bear—
The sleepless nights, the vows he keeps,
The children’s questions, thin as air.
Each dawn renews the task at hand:
To guide, provide, protect, endure;
To keep intact what love had planned
And make our fragile dwelling sure.
O Giver and Sustainer of breath,
Grant courage for the path I tread;
Let not despair consort with death
Nor faith depart the tears I shed.
Strengthen the hands that toil alone,
Send help where human power is few;
Preserve the seed that we have sown
Till brighter seasons break anew.
And you who yet a spouse embrace—
In calm or storm, in want or cheer—
Esteem the jewel in your place;
Its worth grows clearest when not near.
For none perceives love’s priceless art
Till silence fills the empty room;
Then echoes teach the widowed heart
The cost of what once chased the gloom.
— Oluseyi Ogunbanwo
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