R.I.P Kate by Uzuazo Onwah

8

 


"My God," She sighed and raised her head,
"The early bird is still unfed."
In great despair, with silent cries
She bowed her head and wiped her eyes.
Her clothes unwashed, her books untouched,
To say the least, her needs were much.
She'd been kneeling to pray to God,
But she hadn't uttered a word.
She stood up then and turned around,
Distracted by a buzzing sound.
It was her phone, a call from dad.
She hesitated, thinking hard,
A call from the one man she feared?
She answered the phone, filled with dread,
Barely hearing as a voice said,
"Come home quickly, your dad is dead."

She stumbled out into the sun,
Hopeless, thoughts of the future gone.
She walked as with no direction,
Endless gloom her destination.
At least her school fees had been paid,
"But this water," she thought, "is too deep to wade."
"What then is the use continuing?
"Next year I'll still be sorrowing.
"I'm the first daughter, the first child,
"What scripture have I not applied?
"My God shall supply all my needs,
"I've made my vows, I've sown my seeds,
"I've cast my bread upon the sea,
"But nothing has returned to me.
"Oh Lord, if I must continue,
"Then show yourself, God WHERE ARE YOU?"
She snapped back from her 'delirium'
As a blaring siren brought her home.
Images of fire started to form
As she panicked and started to run.
She had left her room door unlocked,
Her ring boiler had not been unplugged,
She stepped into the road, not looking up
Even when a speeding car screeched to a stop
Within inches of her in hurried flight,
Until her room was in sight.
"Thank God," She whispered, "No fire",
Entering and heaving a well deserved sigh.
She reached to unplug the heater,
But slipped and fell, spilling the water,
Stiffening as the current gripped her,
Pulling her into the great beyonder.
Her neighbour, hearing the commotion, rushed in
And rushed out to cut the power,
And rushed in again to meet what she'd feared:
Fate had prevailed,the girl was dead.
 

Creative works (literature, art and culture) emerging from Nigeria.

Discussion8 Comments

  1. awwwww……..too sad.

    sometimes we just have to take it one at a time; juggling it all, thinking about it all at the same time is a recipe for early death.

    RIP Kate, in your next life learn not to worry too much

  2. Nicely written Uzuazo, you tell the tale of  many a Nigerian girl. it ended all too sad, but what life deals us, we never know the whens and whys. Yet in my stubborn cocoon, i believe we are masters of our fate. Nanty Greens said to me in a tweet, "We are hardly the "master" of our fate, there are certain things beyond us"

    My thoughts are,  could Kate have done things a little differently? In the daze of the bad news of her father's death, taken in a deep breath, unplugged the "ring boiler'  then stumbled out in the sun. I am playing the devil's advocate here, i do not question the whens and whys, life throws at us,  there is always a lesson to be learned,  in every word written or spoken. This may be fiction, but it plays out in our lives in different ways everyday. Thanks again for sharing Uzuazo

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