Requiem For A Mother-In-Law Gone Too Soon (1)

She waited and

waited long enough

for me

to ford

the rolling

waves;

then she heaved

a deep sigh

of relief

and gave up

the ghost,

which is what

we all

really are

who call ourselves

the living

and alive –

she wanted

to give me

the best gift

of life,

a prime

piece of land

on which

to break sweat

tend and reap

the victuals

of life

and

health…

that was all

she had hoped for

in life which

she lived long

enough past

the divinely decreed

three-score

and ten,

just two shy

of the minimum

of grace…

which was perfectly

in synch

with her

birthname

of Grace,

which was also

the birthname

of my mother’s

mom,

which made

my mother-in-law

my birthmother

as well,

when one stops,

carefully,

and clearly

to think

about

the same –

she waited

for me

to arrive from

overseas

for fourteen years

at sixty-four,

about the same

number of years

my birthmother

lived,

fourteen years

more than

my birthmother

whose kid and

twin-sister

had expired

at three…

so,

in a real sense,

mother-in-law

was also

my mother’s twin;

yes,

in many more

respects

than not,

they were one

and the same;

in all respects,

a mirror

and its image,

image

of the well-examined

life,

which was most

meaningful

as well

as it had been

lived…

my mother-in-law

who waited for

fourteen long years

before we

finally met

and bearhugged

like the long-lost

son who had

finally found

his way

back home

again;

this modest

down-to-earth

home, which

nevertheless,

was the best

of homes…

my mother-in-law,

she waited for

fourteen long years

before we finally

met and

bearhugged

like teddy bears;

I,

the long lost

son,

prodigal,

who had

finally

found his way

back home,

again,

to our modest

down-to-earth

home

and the best

home

of all

homes,

in spite

of the bashful

looks

of its

walls…

my dear

mother-in-law,

she waited

and waited

for me

fourteen

long years,

and then

fourteen weeks

later,

she was gone

for good…

10/13/18

Author: Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr.

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