Requiem for a Mother-in-Law Gone Too Soon (Maame Afua Ofosuaa Henaku – 1940-2018) – (2)

She went
to the clinic
with a stomach-ache
and returned home
in a box;
like liver
and bile,
death came calling
just when we thought
all was well
and at peace
with her
and the rest
of us –
alas,
my long-awaited
arrival
also marked
her departure
which began
the day
she read
her will
and parceled out
my piece
of land;
there was a glint
of fulfillment
in her eyes
of the kind
that bespoke of
the finality
of a job
well done,
the rebirth
of her long lost
conjugal son,
the last
of the clan
to arrive…
it was only
a matter
of time,
only a matter
of weeks
before the licensed
butchers arrived
and carved out
her guts
which they infected
with the germs
and the virus
that finally
took her life…
a death
most callous
and insane
that sent chills
down my spine;
septic scalpels
that ripped
her heart
and guts
apart,
that criminally
tore her
from the adult-kids
and in-laws
she so dearly
loved
beyond the very
breath
of her life
and for whom
she lived
every second
of her life…
Maafio
waited for me
by the skirt-and-blouse
door
of her house,
the type
with double locks
the upper part
of which
one could leisurely
lean on, on a
breezy
sunny
day…
I am still
watching Maafio,
that peaceful glint
of fulfilled finality
in her sleepy eyes
as when the starlit
night beckons
sweet dreams
of a life come
full-cycle
and yet
verdantly
refreshed
and filled anew
with unspoken
self-satisfaction…
it was only
a matter
of time,
yes,
only
a matter
of time –

10/16/18