BEGE BY ISA MUHAMMAD INUWA 16/11/2013 Bege, your sneaky exit surprises us all … How soon you forsake us in this dicey life? But in death, we come to know you better – Girls of heaven stand in rows, waving To receive you home, while angels of bliss Salute your soul at the gates of paradise – Heaven dwellers dress in gorgeous colours, Celebrating your arrival and peep for a glimpse Of you, through the windows of Jannah! Perfume-scented aroma filters the air From nowhere, at the bathing of your corpse – Your body shimmers with every water-drop Bege, you vacate us in this festive period Of Thul-Hijjah, the month of Hajj and devotion While believers are forgiven on the Arafat day Thousands of mourners jostled for your corpse, Elated and matched to your resting place For you loved the Prophet and chanted his eulogy Azra’eel, the Angel of death would have been lenient On your gentle soul, for the Prophet is yours – Your death couldn’t have been so painful Oh grave! Squeeze him not, but expand and Be as spacious as home and let there be light Let not his corpse erode, nor his bones decay and wither For this was the man who praised the Prophet With heart and mind deep in mesmerism, He rehearsed the praises to his zenith of ecstasy He composed volumes of verses and stanzas He chanted volumes of songs of lucid lines and cadence In exhortation of the beloved and exalted Prophet Now, for your dedication and rare affection For your ardent love and respect to him For your unequalled and unrivalled submission Bege, tell us in which paradise are you? Jannatul Ma’awah, Darussalam or Firdausy? Read at monthly Creative Writers’ Forum organized by Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) & Dept. of English and French Languages, BUK, at the American Corner of the Murtala Muhammad Library, Kano, on Saturday, November 30, 2013.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 19:12:47 +0000