Tonight: The Ballads of Heartbreak III

Hey!! We seem to be making these Sunday posts a habit these days. Nobody’s complaining though and we are loving all the feedback we’ve been getting. ALL of them, we are constantly trying to do better at our own pace of course :p. This post continues the “Ballads of Heartbreak” series (read the first one here and the second here) and was written by one of the finest writers I know, @MsDania. She steps out of her comfort zone a little bit for us at Esho-Ikoyi. She blogs at Chronicles of Dania. Enjoy and please share your thoughts with us in the comment box.

I see them hovering; crying tears that refuse to drop.
They are happy. They have succeeded.
Their sobs will not transcend this world
But surely the gods can tell?

They look at me in wonder.
Why will she not put up a show for us?
She killed him.
Her children were not enough for her and so she has eaten him too.

But how will they know? How can they know?
They cannot know that I have not slept since the night it happened four nights ago.
They did not see the ogun ekute I nursed in my hand all through last night.
No they cannot know.

I will not let them see my tears.
One of them must be responsible
Are a man’s enemies not members of his own household?
No. I will never let them see me cry.

Olowo ori mi you have wronged me.
How could you abandon me, alone in this world full of cruelty?
Orisha-ewe, you failed me; Eleduwa, you cannot help me now.
Libation after libation and yet you gave me no respite.
One by one you took my babies back. And now you have taken my husband too.

WHY?

Did I not sacrifice enough? Were my tears not wet enough? Perhaps I did not wail loud enough?
Why give them to me only to take them back? What did I do that was so cruel to have you tease me so?
I must get the answers I seek. You must answer Orisha-ewe.

It is now dusk and one by one they begin to leave.
They have mourned, now they will come back tomorrow to begin the rites.
I know what they are going to do to me; I have witnessed it before.
I watch them as they go.
But little do they know.

I get up from our bench on the verandah and shuffle slowly inside.
This time I do not hesitate to open the bottle.
Eleduwa you will answer to me.
Tonight.

What do you think? Can you relate? Would you dare? Please share.