Mowumi,Hurray The Storm Has Lost His Voice

Mowumi,
I can still remember our first meeting
the friendship,trust and  alas its 18 years

i can remember the strolls
the laughter and gentleness
you read my poetry
despite my angst against God
you stomached my oddness
my dressing and weird friends

we had combed the several gardens
friends and nothing more
just very" good friends"
then we lost"friends"also
you lost yours and i lost mine
or did they show their true colours?

we have weathered the storms
sharing a bottle of Pepsi and a snack
heading to Kano and you to Benue
keeping vigils at phone booths
hugging the mouthpiece
straining to hear you
remember the days of NITEL

but the storms kept coming
they were baby ,"toy" storms
then we tied the knot
i had returned from Kano a different man
had burnt my anti -God poetry
we tied our commitment of faith
love and storms gathered

they gathered as fair breeze
gentle ,harmless breeze
they gathered like the evening breeze
then they became stronger
softly at first then the whistle began
to thunder

first, it was my sudden relocation
to Port Harcourt
and the battle for a child
the strange ants,the nightmares
the lost possessions
and the storms gathered
alas in the midst of it a baby girl
a wonderful gift

the sudden move again
the wrong investments of trust and funds
the years of paying what we didn't owe
then when the stern would have
broken from the fierce winds
against the run of predictions
what they called a benign tumour was
a baby boy

we had hardly settled
when my mild side pains became long nights of crying
you often went from hospital to office and back
from scan to scan
and finally the long night of the knife
without hope you were by side
and when the hordes of hell came calling
you would in prayer resist

from theatre to theatre
and i despaired of life
all the horizon was gloom and death
but you were there
daring the storm to do its worst

i cant hold back the tears
 but the long nights are bringing out laughter
strokes that don't break the back make it stronger
then you were at the the very verge of death
the very door of it
the child,the wrong injection
the surgeries and the storm wreaked  its worst
and we buried her
oh death where is your sting?

and then i fell
the round of surgeries again
the spending of time and love
the healing,wearing a wire
and being nursed
but the storm has wreaked its worst

Mowumi,
the storm has lost its breathe
the wind is gone from its sail
our little journey is still on
we started as two
and are now five
Akorede,Iretomilowo and Semilore



Mowumi,
we are are thankful
utterly thankful
for the many miracles
the tokens and the seemingly intangible
we remain steeply thankful
to the Almighty

Mowumi,
the storm has lost its voice
its hoarse strain is barely audible
and we celebrate today
may it be a new day
may the many miracles cement our
commitments
to God and each other

Mowumi,Adenike,Kajotoni
the storm has wilted
its resolve broken
the night has given birth to praise
the sighs to singing
the hissings to hallelujahs
the night is over

Mowumi,
as your days
shall your strength be
you will call one and a million
will answer
the pleasure of the lord will prosper
in your hands

HAPPY BIRTHDAY