I CAN ONLY IMAGINE!

Hello everyone! Hope we are doing good? Hope our week has not been too hectic? Not to worry, THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY! And let's bless God for the opportunity of seeing another month; the month of June.
Some were not so lucky! At least, not in this nation of mine, Nigeria!

Early this week, I had a terrible nightmare that woke me in the middle of the night. I decided to write it down. It came in form of a poem, sort of! And since I don't usually 'do' poem, I forwarded it to a friend of mine, IFY OMENI.

She is a graduate of English with Masters in Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University. She has authored 3 books: Letter to Thilda, Pearls are not for Pigs and Footprints of Note. She is also the Chief Ideas Officer, Touch of Gold Media Limited. You can contact her on 08147201075. She made the necessary 'minor' corrections as she called it, to my 'nightmare-turned write-up'. Please read on. It's straight from my heart!

I woke up in cold sweat
Goose pimples all over my body
My heart's palpitation erratic
Confusion, alarm and fear
Were emotions that struck me
I tried to grasp what was amiss
Trying so hard to remember
Then I did.
 
I just had a nightmare
A terrible, horrible and horrific one
My child was missing!
I imagine him out there
With all the prevalent horrors
Madmen and women
Paedophiles that prey on little ones
Kidnappers, drug addicts and the likes

I can only imagine
Or rather, I can't even imagine
How this could have happened
My pen shook as I tried to put
My nightmare into words
How could this be?
How could he be lost?
What exactly happened?
 
So many questions
And no satisfactory answers
I remembered him
In his school uniform
I was told he had left for school
Before I had finished dressing his siblings
I waited for him to come home
To no avail

I tried to remember
I searched as hard as I could
For the school's phone numbers
To ascertain that he actually
Arrived in school that morning
But I just couldn't get myself together
Myriad of emotions struck me
And rendered me almost useless
 
My heart and brain had gone blank
A great sense of loss enveloped me
I wondered if he would ever be found
Then I remembered; it was indeed
A terrible nightmare
I went to his room to assure myself
That he was still very much with us
And I saw that indeed he was
 
Then I can only imagine
Or rather I can't begin to imagine
How they are feeling right now
The parents of the #Chibok Girls
How are they coping with the loss?
Some have not just one but two daughters
In the Chibok school
Some have not just daughters but nieces as well
Precious jewels each and everyone of them
 
I can only imagine
Or rather, I can't begin to imagine
What these Parents
And the girls
Are going through
50 days and still counting
#Our Girls are yet to be rescued
I can only imagine
Or rather, I can't begin to imagine
The horror, terror and the fear.

I thought NO NEWS is GOOD NEWS
But in this case, NO NEWS is BAD NEWS!
Through no fault of theirs
Except for being at the RIGHT PLACE
At the RIGHT TIME!
Except for desiring to be educated
They became captives and pawns
In the hands of Evil Men
 
Mine was just a nightmare
And I am yet to recover
I cry to the powers that be
Please, #Bring Back Our Girls
I cry to the Lord Most High
Who is Higher than the Highest
Greater than the Greatest
Help us, #Bring Back Our Girls
 
The arm of flesh has failed
Conflicting opinions and advice
Counsels of Ahithophel abound
Some trust in chariots
Others in weapons of war
But we trust in the name of our Lord
Because He alone is able
To #Bring Back Our Girls

Yours sincerely,
KEMI ODUTAYO
@kemi_odutayo