"A Colourful Memory", Poem by Mukaila Habeebullah

A Colourful Memory by Mukaila Habeebullah wraps death in soft textural verses; not steeped in grief, but in quiet resignation to reality.

A Colourful Memory wraps death in soft textural verses; not steeped in grief, but in quiet resignation to reality and the ritual significance of final moments. It brings a colorful perspective to the so-called life's inevitable.

A COLOURFUL MEMORY 

An elegy for those wrapped in soil.

Sunny skies weep with rainy tears.

Heat conquers the air; fans spin in vain.

Shield me with an umbrella, or better still,

Let my refuge be a depot, where I can hide.

Spare my skin from the sun's burning grasp,

Let lotions soothe my body, a feast for earthworms at last.

Bathe me with soap and sponge,

Wrap me in white cloth, unadorned and plain,

Tie me with rope, and call me "a corpse."

Place me before you, and recite my funeral prayer,

Where you'll neither bow nor prostate.

Remember, mourning is a sin.

Leave me with this colourful memory,

To account for all my deeds.

Poet

Mukaila Habeebullah is a Nigerian poet and legal enthusiast. His works have appeared in Spillwords, Wordsempiremagazine, Williwash and so forth.